The Emperor of Slytherin
by Smenzer
Summary: There's a new student at Hogwarts and it's Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars! Will Draco be able to keep Slytherin House under his control? Will Palpy be able to fly a broom or brew a potion? This is a comedy! Lord Vader has now arrived at Hogwarts!
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Emperor of Slytherin

Author: Smenzer

Email: PG

Pairing: None

Archive: Yes, please archive. If you want to add this story to a website, please let me know.

Teaser: There is a new student at Hogwarts and it's Emperor Palpatine! Will Draco be able to keep Slytherin House under his control with the Master Sith Around? Will Palpy be able to ride a broom or brew a potion? Will Snape call him Master?

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. Harry Potter characters belong to Warner Bros, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Heyday/1498 films, JK Rowling and Raincoat books. Emperor Palpatine belongs to George Lucas and Fox. This is just for fun. No money is being made.

Note: This story has a little science fiction in it since it's a crossover with Star Wars (mainly at the beginning – most of the story will take place at Hogwarts). For SW fans, it takes place around the same time frame as ROTJ. For HP fans, it's Harry's third year (TPOA). And yes, it's probably AU since Palpatine never attended Hogwarts! You are not required to know who Palpatine is in order to enjoy this story (the first chapter explains who he is).

Coruscant:

Emperor Palpatine rested in his black swivel throne chair, his pale bony hands resting on the arm rests. Numerous blinking buttons were within easy reach of his fingers on the chair's armrests. With a flick of a finger, his every whim would be satisfied, for he was Emperor of an entire galaxy and thousands of worlds. He owned a huge fleet of Star Destroyers; immense spaceships so large and powerful that worlds didn't stand a chance against them. When a trio of Star Destroyers surrounded a world that wasn't cooperating with the Empire, the world either gave in to the Emperor's demands or suffered hideous damage. If the world chooses damage, most likely the planet no longer could easily support life. He had his Stormtroopers: soldiers in black and white armor that came in the millions. They used blaster rifles, drove ATATS, Speederbikes and used other weapons of destruction. And last but not least, his loyal followers were busy building him a new Death Star; a man-made moon so powerful it could blow up an entire planet.

But this wasn't ALL that Palpatine was.

He's also the Sith Master and Master of the Dark Side. In other words, he's a dark, foul wizard. Palpatine is all that Voldemort hopes to become someday.

Palpatine meditated, his eyes closed as visions of the past, present and future danced before his closed eyelids. The visions were so clear that he could almost reach out and grasp them with his bony, gnawed hands. For several days now one vision in particular had caught his attention. It showed a huge castle with towers, of young students in black robes and people using the Force. Yet, he sensed these people were not training to be Jedi: his hated enemy. He saw no green or blue bladed lightsabers. Instead, the children seemed to wield pointed sticks. With rapt fascination, he watched as the sticks allowed them to do wondrous things with their Force powers. He watched as they flew on brooms through the air; something even the cursed, peace-loving Jedi couldn't do. Finally he saw an image of an old man with a long white beard and knowing eyes. Somehow he knew the man's name was Albus Dummbledore and that he was the Headmaster of the school.

"I will attend this school and I will become even more powerful!" Palpatine cackled evilly as he slowly climbed to his feet. Palpatine was not a young man. Although he was in his eighties, using the Dark Side had aged him so much that he could have easily passed for one hundred and sixty! Some even whispered he had the appearance of a corpse. His skin appeared to be rotten, deep grooves marred his forehead and numerous deep circles marked the sagging skin under his eyes. And his eyes were no doubt the most frightening feature on his decayed face. They were deep red, the red color actually leaked to the skin surrounding his eyes. Make no mistake; those eyes were not red from being bloodshot but from being totally evil. A dark, dank and cold presence surrounded him everywhere he went and it infused his private rooms. Slowly Palpatine climbed down the stairs that led to his throne, his black Jedi-like robes silently brushing the marble floor. He entered the lift, his private Imperial Guards dressed in blood red joining him. Within moments he was whisked to his private quarters and immediately went to his desk. There he began to write a letter.

Dear Headmaster Dummbledore,

I have become aware of your school and would like to attend. I am already skilled in using the Force (what you call magic) but I would like to further my education. As I understand, you accept both Good and Evil students.

A generous donation of several million credits (payable any way you wish) will be made to your school if I'm allowed to attend.

If on the other hand I'm NOT allowed to attend, please be aware the Empire will be shortly taking over your pitiful little planet and all Force-users will be incarcerated and quarantined. I have done this before and the planet in question is still in quarantine. Obey my wishes and all shall go well for your school and students.

I wish no special treatment; just the opportunity to learn.

Sincerely yours,

Emperor Palpatine, Sith Master

Palpatine's Palace, Coruscant

Sometime later Dummbledore received the letter and considered the matter. Then it was decided.

Hogwarts Express:

Harry Potter had just settled down in one of the train compartments with Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. A fourth person was already in the compartment when they had entered it. An adult man dozed with his head against the window, a bottle of water nearby. Soon the train started moving. Harry glanced at the sleeping man. "Do you think he's really sleeping?"

"It looks like he is. Why?" Hermoine asked. She had Crookshanks on her lap and she gently smoothed his rumpled fur.

"Because I have something to tell you." Harry said as he slid the compartment door closed.

The door had just closed when Neville Longbottom appeared in a panic. He wrapped on the glass door rapidly as he fearfully glanced down the long corridor of the train. The boy's eyes were wide with fright and beads of sweat dripped off his forehead. "Open the door! Oh, you got to open up! Something terrible has happened!"

With a loud sigh, Harry slid the door open again. "What is it, Neville? What happened? We just pulled out of the station!"

"He's on the train! I saw him with my own eyes!" Neville sputtered as he clung to the open door with damp hands. "Everyone's talking about it! I … I didn't believe it at first. I mean I know people think I'm stupid but I went and looked and he was really there! So I came to tell you right away!"

"Neville, calm down!" Hermoine said as she moved over on the cushioned seat. She patted the empty space next to her. "Come and sit down. Relax."

Neville's hands moved restlessly as he glanced down the long corridor again, his eyes round. His bottom lip trembled. "I can't sit down! We … we got to get off the train!"

Harry stood up and grabbed the other boy's hands. They were cold and clammy. "Who's on the train?"

"Him. You know, V……."

"Voldemort?" Harry asked, shocked. "Is that who you mean?"

Neville nodded. "I … I saw him!"

"Neville, listen to me." Harry calmly said. "Voldemort CAN'T be on the train! He doesn't have a body; at least not that I know of. If he really were close by my scar would be hurting. And it's not. Someone is playing tricks on you."

"It didn't look like a trick…" Neville whispered. He pointed down the long train corridor. "He's down there in one of the compartments…"

"I'll go look. And you stay here with the sleeping man." Harry moved out into the hallway, Hermoine and Ron right on his heels.

"R. J. Lupin." Hermoine said. "That's his name. It's on his suitcase."

They three waited until Neville nervously sat down on the seat next to Lupin. He stared at them fearfully. "You'll come back, won't you?"

"Yes, we'll be back. I bet its Malfoy playing tricks." Harry explained as he started down the corridor. They passed compartment after compartment. They noticed that the other students seemed more hyper than normal. Voices buzzed around them and several times they caught the name You Know Who being whispered. Other compartments appeared to be locked with the students huddled against the far window.

"What if it's not Malfoy?" Ron asked nervously.

"It is. I'm sure of it." Harry replied, but inside he didn't feel so sure. Could Malfoy really upset the entire train like this? It seemed doubtful to him.

"Harry, look! In that compartment!" Hermoine pointed to the next compartment, which oddly enough was open. Inside it an elderly man with red eyes sat. Surprisingly enough, the rest of the compartment was deserted.

Ron moved right up behind Harry and fearfully peered at the old man. A cold shiver traveled down his spine as if Fred or George had just dropped a hunk of winter ice down his shirt. A few moments passed before he found the courage to speak. "I … I don't like him, Harry. He looks really creepy! Is that … Him?"

Harry stared at the old man in the dark robes. He noticed the man had met his gaze and then his gaze had moved on, uninterested. He was sure if it had been Voldemort he would have tried to kill him right away. "No, I don't think so. My scar's not even tingling."

"I … I'm sure he's just old." Hermoine finally said. "You know, like Filche. I suppose he could be a new teacher. I mean someone has to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"I wouldn't want him for a teacher! I bet he's meaner than Snape!" Ron whispered to Harry and Hermoine.

"Come on. Let's head back to our seats and tell Neville the good news." Feeling better, Harry turned around and started back down the long hallway. What could have been a real disaster turned out to be just a mistaken identity. His good mood evaporated when he came face to face with a certain blonde Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle stood just behind him, threatening looks pasted to their plump faces.

"Went to see the corpse, did you?" Draco Malfoy sneered. "It doesn't surprise me. You always have to be in the middle of everything, don't you, Potter?"

"How rude! He's just elderly!" Hermoine protested, feeling that someone had to protect the old man. "Draco Malfoy, you'll be sorry when that so-called corpse is your teacher!"

"Teacher? That? You have to be joking, Granger!" Malfoy laughed. "He needs a hole in the ground, not papers to grade!"

Hermoine placed her hands on her hips. "Well, why else would he be on the train? He must be a new teacher!"

"At least I'm not dumb enough to think he's You Know Who!" Malfoy sneered, his upper lip curling just so. "Admit it, Potter. That's why you went down there."

"Shut up, Malfoy." Harry brushed past the Slytherin, sure the day couldn't get any worst. Once back at their compartment, they calmed Neville down and sent him on his way. He then proceeded to tell Hermoine and Ron about Sirius Black and the real reason the madman had escaped from Azkaban.

"Oh, Harry! That's just terrible!" Hermoine wailed, her heart going out to her friend. "But I'm sure they'll catch him."

Just then the train jarred to a sudden stop. Ron peered out the window, his face pressed against the glass. Rain splashed and tinkered loudly against the window and roof of the train. Hermoine jumped in fright when a dark shadow appeared by their compartment door but she realized it was just the old man waddling past, no doubt heading towards the bathroom at the back of the train. A moment after the old man had passed, a second shadow appeared. It had long bones for fingers and wore a tattered black robe. Hermoine screamed in fright and pressed herself against Ron. To her utter horror, the door started to slide open!

"You!" A voice called from the hallway. The voice sounded like it expected to be obeyed. "What are you doing there? Be gone I say!"

Harry watched with wide-eye fear as the black ragged thing removed its hand and disappeared from sight. A moment later the old man appeared again, hurrying after the ragged thing. A loud cackling could be heard and they were uncertain if it was the man or the thing that had made the sound. Slowly the sound faded and then all they heard was their own ragged breathing and the sound of rain.

"What … what was that thing?" Ron asked, his face pale.

"I don't know." Harry replied. "But that elderly man told it to go away and it did! Did you see that?"

"He MUST be the new teacher!" Hermoine said, her voice certain now.

Unknown to all three, the real Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher continued to slumber against the window until the train pulled to a stop in Hogsmeade.

In the Great Hall, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table next to Ron. Hermoine sat across from them. The Sorting Hat ceremony was going on, but neither of them was really paying any attention.

"Palpatine!" Professor McGonagall called loudly, a long scroll dangling from her hand.

"Look!" Neville cried as he pointed towards the teacher's table and the sorting ceremony. "It's that old man! He's a STUDENT!"

Harry whipped his head around so fast to see that a sharp pain shot through his neck. His green eyes opened so wide in shock that he feared his eyeballs would fall right out of his head. "He can't be a student!"

"But he's being sorted!" Hermoine said open-mouthed. "I can't understand it either. It makes no sense at all!"

Ron said nothing at all; just stared with his jaw hanging agape.

Palpatine walked to the stool and carefully sat down on it. Before McGonagall placed the hat on his head, the hat clearly shouted the house. "SLYTHERIN!"

At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy moaned loudly and collapsed on top of his empty plate. The last thing he wanted was that walking corpse in his house! Crabbe and Goyle gawked open-mouthed at the creepy old man as he slowly made his way to their table. All eyes in the Great Hall were on Palpatine.

Palpatine finally reached the Slytherin Table and slowly sat on the long bench. He tried to lift his feet and tuck them under the table, but was unable to. This left him sitting at the Slytherin table but facing Gryffindor.

Goyle whispered in Malfoy's ear.

Draco picked up his head and leaned back so he could see Palpatine. Just as Goyle had whispered, the man was facing the wrong way. "How in Merlin did a oaf like that get in our house? Doesn't Dummbledore check people's age anymore? I'm going to write to my Father about this!"

There was a whispered conversation at the teacher's table and within moments Hagrid appeared with a strange black chair for the new student to sit in. The chair was added at the very end of the table where Palpatine would have room to tuck his legs under like the rest of the students. He slowly moved to the new chair and sat down, a broad grin on his decayed face.

Draco couldn't help but notice the chair was padded. And it swiveled, too!

Harry gulped and held onto his suddenly upset stomach when he noticed Palpatine's yellow and black teeth.

"Can I have your attention everyone?" Dummbledore said from the middle of the teacher's table. "I would like you to warmly welcome our new students. This year we have a special student, Emperor Palpatine. He has given the school a very generous donation in exchange for attending classes. After some consideration, we feel it's best that he attend class with the Third Years."

"Noooooo!" Draco moaned. "I don't want to attend class with … wait, did he say EMPEROR!"

Crabbe and Goyle nodded.

"He's an Emperor?" Draco snarled angrily. "That's worst than Saint Potter!"

Dummbledore's speech continued but no one was listening. The entire Great Hall was buzzing about Emperor Palpatine. Even the Dementors couldn't get the attention of the students. It was hopeless, so Dummbledore sat down and clapped his hands together. With a flash of light, the tables were covered with food.

Palpatine stared in amazement at the feast that had just appeared out of the air. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen and his crooked mind pondered how the Headmaster had done it. He slowly filled his plate with food and started to eat. He was certain Lord Vader would manage the Empire just fine in his absence. He curiously glanced at the paper containing his classes. Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts … how foolish! Anyone with half a brain knew he WAS the Dark Arts and there wasn't a defense against him! He also had specially scheduled flying lessons with Madam Hooch.

After he had eaten, Palpatine followed the other students from his table down into the dungeons to the Slytherin Common Room. He was following the others to the dormitories when a young blonde boy stepped into his path. The boy stared at him with icy gray eyes.

"Let's make something clear, old man." Draco boldly said. "The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And I'm running Slytherin House, got that? So if you know what's good for you, you better wise up or ship out."

"Yeah! Like he said!" Crabbe and Goyle chorused, making a big show of tightening their fat hands into fists.

Palpatine stared at Draco for a long minute, then busted out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Draco angrily demanded.

This caused Palpatine to laugh even harder. He fell over backward onto the black leather sofa, the one no one but Draco dare sit on.

"That's MY sofa, old man! Get off it!" Draco ordered furiously, his pale cheeks turning red. What right did this living corpse have to come to Hogwarts and sit on his sofa? He was really nothing but a miserly First Year, no matter what Dummbledore said. To Draco's utter horror, Palpatine laughed so hard that a piece of his facial skin actually fell off and landed on the floor! "I'm cutting you some slack since this is your first day, but you'll be sorry when my Father hears about this!"

Draco stormed to his dormitory, Crabbe and Goyle hot on his heels. He went straight to his desk. He pulled out ink, a quill and a blank roll of parchment.

Dear Father,

Dummbledore has goofed again. He is letting some walking corpse attend classes! Worst, he's in Slytherin! A big piece of skin fell off the zombie in front of my eyes. I would send it to you as proof but I don't want to touch it, even with my dragon skin gloves. You should see this student! His skin looks rotten, his eyes are red, and he has big ugly grooves in his forehead. And he's claiming to be an Emperor, too! The Headmaster put him in with the Third Years, so I have to attend all my classes with this person!

Your devoted Son,

Draco Malfoy

Draco sealed the letter and dashed off to the owlry. If he sent it right away, his father should receive it hopefully in time for breakfast. He snickered when he imagined how his father would react. He probably would come down to the school to investigate.

The next day rolled around and the sun rose over the horizon. Breakfast went OK, but then it was time for the first class of the day: Potions.

That's when the madness broke loose.

Harry glumly walked into Potions and sat down next to Ron. He nervously glanced towards Draco but for some unknown reason the blonde Slytherin was ignoring him. He felt a poke in the ribs and leaned towards Ron. "What?"

"Look!" Ron pointed.

The new student, the one claiming to be an Emperor, was sitting at the front of the class.

Snape stormed in and immediately headed towards the front. He started to take roll call.

"Crabbe…"

"Here!"

"Goyle…"

"Here!"

"Granger…"

"Here."

"Malfoy…"

"Here."

"Palpatine…"

"Your Highness…"

"What?" Snape asked, focusing his black beady eyes on the new student.

"I said you will address me as 'Your Highness'." Palpatine ordered.

"I will not!" Snape protested. He leaned forward on Palpatine's table, his black greasy hair hanging forward. "This is a classroom, Mr. Palpatine. You will be equal to the other students, is that clear?"

"Then you will address me as 'Master'". Palpatine insisted.

"Well, Potter. It seems we have finally found someone with a bigger head than yours." Snape dryly commented, and then shifted his attention back to the unruly student. "I will not call a student master. Albus Dummbledore is the master of this school and if you have a problem with that then you may take it up with him. Until then, you will be addressed as Mr. Palpatine. Is that clear?"

Palpatine nodded, a too-sweet smile on his face.

Snape finished roll call and pointed to the blackboard. "You have twenty minutes to make the potion. The ingredients are in the cabinet as always. Follow the instructions and you will succeed. The potion, when it's finished, should be lime green. You may start."

Palpatine slowly got to his feet and waddled to the cabinet. By the time he got there, all the other students were back at their tables chopping and grinding the ingredients. He gawked at the weird little bottles and containers, at the plant leaves and roots. The jar with the dead beetles especially surprised him and his face turned slightly green. He peered at the blackboard again and then carefully picked one item out at a time.

"You don't have all day, Mr. Palpatine." Snape sourly said from behind his teacher's desk. "I suggest you get a move on. I will be grading you on this."

Palpatine went back to his desk. He glanced up at the blackboard.

STEP ONE: CHOP ELM ROOT INTO ONE-INCH PIECES.

Palpatine reached onto his belt and pulled out a silvery-handled object. He depressed a black button and a long red beam appeared, humming.

Draco's head lifted at the odd sound that filled the classroom, his gray eyes widening at the sight of the red lightsaber.

"Mr. Palpatine! What…." Snape started to say.

Palpatine laughed evilly and swung his lightsaber at the elm root, chopping his desk right in half. The cauldron and the rest of the ingredients crashed to the floor in an ear-splitting sound of thunder.

"MR. PALPATINE!" Snape growled, furious. "You will serve detention for a week for that bad behavior! And in the future, you will use the appropriate knife to chop ingredients, not that …red thing!"

Harry was as shocked by the incident as the rest of the students. What will Palpatine do in his other classes?

To be continued…


	2. Hippogriffs and Boggarts

Author's Note: I'm aware that Gryffindor only shares a few classes with Slytherin House, but for the purpose of this story, they will share all classes. Also the classes may be in a different order than the books/movies.

The Emperor of Slytherin 2

"Did you see that?" Hermoine said to Ron and Harry as the three filed out of Potions for their next class.

"Bloody, yeah!" Ron replied wide-eyed. "Who didn't?"

"What was that red thing?" Harry asked as he hefted the pile of books in his arms. They quickly climbed the stone steps leading out of the Dungeon and he was glad for the momentary breath of fresh air. But he dreaded the long climb all the way up to Divinations. "It looked like a sword almost."

"I have no idea," Hermoine quickly said, her strap from her heavy bag of books biting into her shoulder. "But I'm sure he's not supposed to have it!"

Harry reached the bottom of the Divinations Tower and was about to start up the stairs when a sharp elbow to his side knocked him into the wall. His books went flying when the back of his head collided painfully into the stone block wall.

"Out of my way, Potter!" Draco snarled as he started up the long flight of stairs. Crabbe and Goyle, open-mouthed and huffing for air, were right behind him.

"How rude!" Hermoine glared angrily at the Slytherins' backs, then went to help Harry to his feet.

Ron watched the three Slytherins disappear rapidly up towards the Divinations classroom, a confused expression on his face. "Where are they going? I thought the next class was with either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

"Didn't you check your schedule?" Hermoine replied as she shoved Harry's books back into his arms. "We have ALL of our classes with the Slytherins!"

"NO!" Harry and Ron cried together, a look of utter horror on their faces.

Hermoine started up the stairs. "We better hurry up or we'll be late! You want to make a good impression for the new teacher, don't you? I've never met the Divinations teacher, have you?"

Ron shook his head and glumly started up the stairs. Halfway there, he clung to the railing and forced his foot up onto the next step. "Why do they make these towers so tall? What do they think we are, bloody goats?"

"Stop complaining, Ronald! This is good exercise!" Hermoine had actually managed to catch up to the three Slytherins, leaving Harry and Ron struggling to catch up.

Down below, Palpatine had just emerged from the Dungeon into the corridor. He studied his map for a moment, turning it this way and that. Now where was the next class? Just a moment ago all the students from Potions had been just in front of him and now the hallway was deserted! Determining that a left hand turn was required, the Emperor slowly walked until he reached a staircase. He tilted his head back. The stairs went up and up and up…

"Drat place!" Palpatine mumbled, his voice echoing in the empty corridor. "Why don't these fools have lifts?"

Picking a foot up, he climbed onto the first step. A second and third step followed. He leaned heavily on his gnarled and twisted cane, resting. The heavy bag of books he was forced to carry made his back hurt. And his knees, yes, they felt like they were stiff and swollen from all the unaccustomed activity. Determination crossed his decayed face and he climbed a few more steps. His hand clung tightly to the smooth banister. He picked his head up, measuring how much farther he had yet to go. A groan escaped his lips when he realized he was still near the bottom of this insane staircase.

Up in the classroom, Harry shot Draco a dirty glare. The blonde Slytherin, of course, had chosen a table near Potter's. And to Harry's disgust, Malfoy just sneered.

Their new teacher, Professor Trelawney, was almost as blind as a bat. She bumped into tables, tripped over the little steps in her own classroom and peered out at them from behind eyeglasses. How she ever managed to take attendance with such bad eyesight was a total mystery. What was evident, however, was her style for theatrics and her ever-present foreshadowing of doom. Within the first fifteen minutes of class she had already predicted Harry's death due to the Grim in his teacup.

Harry stared fearfully at the dark blob at the bottom of his cup.

Draco laughed gleefully, Crabbe and Goyle joining him.

"Don't pay it any mind," Hermoine said as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's all a bunch of made up nonsense!"

"But…" Harry started to say.

"No, Harry!" Hermoine insisted. "Do you really think anyone can predict the future from looking at shapes in the bottom of a teacup? It even sounds ridiculous! I don't know why we're forced to even take this subject…"

Professor Trelawney moved over to Draco's table. She focused her near-sighted eyes on Crabbe, who held Draco's teacup. "What do you see, dear?"

"Uhhh," Crabbe uttered uncertainly as he tried to make sense out of the sludge at the bottom of the cup. "I don't know."

The teacher held out her hands. 'Give me the cup."

Crabbe gladly handed the cup over and the three Slytherins watched with interest as the teacher studied the mass of tealeaves at the bottom.

Trelawney shook her head sadly and gently placed the cup onto the table. "You poor boy. You have a dismal future in front of you."

Harry smiled at Malfoy, glad that the blonde was going to share the upcoming suffering. Draco angrily glared back. Trelawney, of course, didn't see any of the silent exchange between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins.

Outside the classroom, Palpatine had just reached the landing. He paused for a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't remember when he had ever climbed so many stairs. On Coruscant they had lifts that quickly took you from one level to another. When the average building easily had over five hundred floors, lifts were required.

The bell rang signaling the end of class.

Draco leaped out of his seat and was the first to reach the door. The room had been unbearably hot. Worse, some noxious fumes had filled the air. Apparently Trelawney favored burning incense in her classroom but all it did was give the blonde Slytherin a banging headache. If that hadn't been bad enough, then she had predicted gloom and doom for him! It had been funny when she had done it for Potter, but when it had happened to him the smug smile had vanished. The only constant bright spot had been the absence of the zombie. He shoved the door open and almost collided into Palpatine.

"Move!" Commanded Palpatine. "I need to attend class."

"Class is over, old man. You missed it!"

"What!" Palpatine howled, his red eyes glaring at Draco. "I climbed all those steps for nothing!"

Without thinking, Draco held out his hand and shoved the old man backward. "Out of my way, Gramps!"

Palpatine stumbled backward, his back hitting the low railing on the small landing just outside of Divinations class. He tumbled over it backward and fell. His body rapidly vanished from sight as he plunged towards the distant floor far below.

Draco's already pale face went paler. He glanced at Crabbe and Goyle. "I didn't mean to!"

The two plump boys had moved to the railing and were watching the old man fall, chuckling. Any moment they expected him to splat on the hard stone.

Palpatine used the Force and easily slowed his descent. His feet touched down as gentle as a feather. Laughing gleefully, he started towards the next class listed on his scroll. With any luck, he'd reach this one on time.

Draco peered over the railing. "I don't believe it! The old geezer is OK! How the heck did he DO that?"

Crabbe and Goyle shrugged.

His legs trembling slightly, Draco hefted his leather bag of books and started down the long staircase. Truthfully, he was glad the old man was all right or else he would have been suspended for sure if not worse. Yet he hadn't heard the old man say the words to a spell. His head still aching, he hurried on to Care for Magical Creatures.

Palpatine laughed evilly as he reached the large ornate doors that led outside. The funny little boy had done him a favor by pushing him off the landing, saving him a miserable trip down the stairs. The dreary school was just loaded with stairs! Calling on the Force once again, Palpatine shoved both doors wide open at an incredible speed. They clunked satisfactorily to their full open position, just barely missing someone who had been approaching them from the other side. The startled man stood there for a moment staring at Palpatine, the wind from the door blowing his long white hair. The Emperor laughed evilly and hurried past. With any luck, he might even be the first to reach the new class!

Lucius Malfoy turned and watched Palpatine hurry towards Hagrid's hut. The letter from his son was clutched in one hand, his snake-headed cane in the other. It had been hard for him to believe the contents of the letter, but now he had seen the so-called zombie with his own eyes.

"Father!" Draco called as he rapidly approached, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "Did you see him?"

"Yes, I have." Lucius replied. "And I truly don't know what to think. I will go ask Dummbledore for an explanation."

"In Potions he chopped a desk in half!" Draco quickly informed his father. "He has some sort of red thing that makes a humming sound."

Harry, Ron and Hermoine approached the two Malfoys, Crabbe and Goyle.

"It's a sword." Hermoine said. "I think it may be a laser sword, although I have no idea where he might have acquired such a thing from. As far as I know, it shouldn't even exist; yet he has one. Although I'm sure it breaks dozens of school rules!"

"Laser?" Lucius asked.

"Muggle technology." Hermoine explained. "In theory a laser can cut through anything. They're often used for surgery, as cuts from a laser heal faster and can be more accurate. Although why it would work on Hogwarts grounds is a total mystery…"

"He wanted Snape to call him 'Master'!" Ron offered. Personally, Ron would be all too happy to see the old man leave Hogwarts.

"Ron!" Hissed Harry as he grabbed the red-haired boy's arm and pulled him closer. "What are you doing? He's a Death Eater!"

"But he's a school governor!" Ron whispered back. "Maybe if we complain enough, he can kick the old guy out! I don't know about you, Harry, but I don't want to be stuck with the creepy guy for a whole year, especially after what he did in Potions! What if he hit a PERSON with that red sword thing?"

Harry's face paled as he realized that if Hermoine was right the sword would just as easily pass through flesh as it did through the table. It would be terrible! Moving closer to the small crowd around Lucius, Harry decided to help Ron with his plan. "He skipped Divination!"

Hermoine's eyes widened and she grabbed Harry by the wrist. "We're going to be late!"

Harry raced after Hermoine down the steep hill towards Hagrid's house. Taking the grassy hill at breakneck speed had been dangerous and he had almost slipped once but had managed to stay on his feet. Out of breath, he joined the crowd of students milling around Hagrid's house. Glancing about, he quickly spotted the old man with the unusual red eyes. The rest of the students kept away from him as they eyed him suspiciously. Whispers passed through the crowd and the Boy Who Lived listened, even if he normally ignored gossip.

"I heard he has some Muggle disease called Band-AIDS." A Slytherin boy whispered. "It's supposed to be contagious."

"No, he has Zombie Rot!" A Slytherin girl insisted. "If he touches you you'll get it and your skin will fall off in big patches!"

"I heard from a Hufflepuff it was Athlete's Feet that spread all over his body…"

"Never washes…"

"It's You Know Who reincarnated!"

"No, it's You Know Who's father reincarnated!"

"You're all wrong! It's Slytherin himself come back to haunt us!"

"Don't let him touch you!"

"He's really an undead creature. Look at those eyes!"

"A vampire for sure. But wait, he can't be. The sunlight didn't melt him."

"I don't want to catch Zombie Rot!"

Harry was amazed at the wide variety of rumors that was flying around about Palpatine. And like most rumors, they all were probably wrong. But the majority of the school believed them and that's what counted. If a person believed a thing, in a way that thing became real. Before long the entire school would be scared of the man and getting too close for fear of Zombie Rot or some other equally hideous disease.

Hagrid appeared and the class followed him to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Soon the class was introduced to Buckbeak, the Hippogriff. Harry stared at the Hippogriff in awe. He had never seen such a wondrous creature before. It appeared to be half bird and half horse! It was also large with razor-sharp talons on its forefeet and a sharp, down curved beak. All in all, the creature looked very dangerous as well as magnificent and Hagrid was attracted to dangerous creatures. And the way it gulped down the raw ferrets that was tossed towards it wasn't exactly reassuring. The point being that it was obviously a carnivore that ate raw meat.

Palpatine stood near the front of the class, a large empty space around him. Unlike the other students, he was not impressed by the Hippogriff at all. It was just another alien creature and he had seen thousands. What was one more?

"All right. Everyone open your books!" Hagrid called after he threw Buckbeak another ferret. "Today we're going to learn about Hippogriffs."

"What is the point of this lesson?" Palpatine asked.

"To learn about Hippogriffs, of course!" Hagrid replied, the big man rolling his dark eyes as he thought the answer was obvious.

"Yes," Palpatine continued. "But WHY are we learning about these Hippogriffs?"

Every eye in the area was focused on Palpatine and Hagrid. They all remembered the incident with Snape and sensed another episode was about to take place. Snape had obviously won the first round, but who would win the second? It was so quite in the paddock that the only sound was the slight whistle of the wind in the trees and the sounds from Buckbeak.

"Well, because this is Care of Magical Creatures class." Hagrid explained. "I see you're new here so it's perfectly natural to be a tad confused. You need to learn about magical creatures because if you ever meet one you'll know what to do. Take Buckbeak here for example. You'd know that Hippogriffs are proud creatures, so you'd bow when you see one. You do that and the Hippogriff won't rip your head off. So you're learning for your own protection, like if you ever met a creature out in the wild somewhere."

"I've seen many creatures more dangerous than this Hippogriff." Palpatine replied. "Do you actually expect me to bow to this beast?"

"That IS part of the lesson." Hagrid said as he looked at Palpatine. "Do you want to go first? There's nothing to be scared of. Buckbeak won't hurt you if you do what I say."

"I fear nothing." Palpatine stated, and then stepped forward. "Yes, as Emperor I will go first."

Palpatine took several slow steps forward and bowed from the waist, his red eyes watching the winged creature. Standing in this position made his back ache but he ignored it. He had the Force and it was powerful, that was all that mattered.

Buckbeak tilted his head as he studied the old man. He pawed and scratched at the dirt with a forefoot, making odd sounds. There was something about this man he didn't care for; a coldness. Yet he was bowing respectfully… With a loud squawk, Buckbeak lowered his head and bowed low.

"Wonderful! Look here, class! He did it!" Hagrid shouted happily. It was his first day of teaching and he was nervous, worried something would go wrong. "Now you can move closer. Go on!"

Palpatine slowly straightened, his back making a loud POP sound as he did so. Slowly he approached the beast. Buckbeak sniffed at him suspiciously, but Palpatine having a bit of knowledge about animals allowed the Hippogriff to make the first move. Only after Buckbeak had rubbed him with his beak did Palpatine touch the creature. "There. I touched it. Is this foolishness over now so we may learn the REAL reason we are here?"

"Huh?" Hagrid said, confused. "That is the reason we're here. What other reason is there?"

"To learn magic, to gain power." Palpatine explained. "This is a school of Force-Users, not a petting zoo."

"Ahhhh….." Hagrid stalled as he puzzled over what Palpatine had said. "You have to ride him now."

"Ride THIS?" Palpatine stared at Hagrid with his red eyes. "I do not need to ride this beast."

"You don't need to ride the beast." Hagrid replied.

"You will address me as Your Highness." Palpatine said.

"I will address you as Your Highness." Hagrid agreed.

"I do not need to take this class." Palpatine said.

"You don't need to take this class, Your Highness." Hagrid nodded.

"I have passed this class with the highest possible grade."

"You passed with high grades, Your Highness." Hagrid said, a blank look on his face.

"Thank you." Palpatine smiled as he started to walk back toward the castle. He paused, and then glanced back at Hagrid. "You shall be rewarded for your faithfulness to the Empire."

Hagrid blinked several times and glanced around in confusion. "Ahh, who wants to go next?"

Hermoine leaned closer to Ron and Harry. "Was that the Imperious Curse?"

Harry had a puzzled expression on his face, as did the entire class. "It couldn't have been. He didn't even have his wand in his hand. As far as I know, you can't curse someone without a wand. There's wandless magic but it's very hard to control. I never heard of anyone being an expert in wandless magic, did you?"

Hermoine shook her bushy head. "No, not that I know of. But that man is STRANGE. First he had that red laser sword and now this! I don't like it at all."

"Come on, there's nothing to be scared of!" Hagrid continued to urge the class. "Who wants to meet Buckbeak?"

Draco shoved his way to the front, a confident expression on his face. He stared Hagrid in the face. "I don't need to take this class."

Hagrid laughed. "Of course you do! Now step forward and take a nice low bow…"

Grumbling under his breath, Draco bowed to the Hippogriff.

Cackling, Palpatine climbed up the steep hill and headed for the castle. The teacher was a weak-minded fool and had fell for the Jedi Mind Trick. He paused a moment to study his schedule and saw that Defense Against the Dark Arts was next. Palpatine hurried on for he was eager to see what sort of defensive skills the class would teach. So far he hadn't really learned anything, except that the building had too many stairs. He would have to find a way to get to his classes without actually climbing all those annoying stairs. The Force would assist him with that. After all, he wasn't the Master Sith for nothing!

While Palpatine hurried back to the castle, a meeting was going on in Dummbledore's Office. The Headmaster sat behind his desk while two others stood before it. One was Lucius Malfoy; the Governor of the school and the other was Professor Snape.

"He CHOPPED a desk in half!" Snape bellowed angrily. "And he left big hunks of SKIN behind in my classroom! The next class that came in after the Third Years left saw the pieces of skin and went into hysterics! They were all convinced they were going to catch a fictious disease called Zombie Rot. By the time I calmed them down class was over!"

"Furniture can be repaired, Severus." Albus Dummbledore calmly stated.

"Exactly why IS this person attending school?" Lucius Malfoy asked. "He is certainly past the age where one normally attends Hogwarts."

"He made a generous donation to the school, one we could not afford to refuse." Dummbledore explained as he offered his guest a bowl of candy.

Lucius declined the candy offer. "Exactly how generous?"

"In the millions."

Lucius blinked in surprise.

Dummbledore unwrapped a peppermint and popped it into his mouth. "He paid it in gold the day before school started. He IS an Emperor and if I'm not mistaken, a very powerful wizard as well. I feel it is best that we humor him for the time being."

"And the disruptions he's causing?" Lucius asked. "What will you do about those?"

"Perhaps," Dummbledore leaned forward. "We could get a special staff member who could handle the complaints from the students, someone who could run a bit of interference. The person would need to be quite brave and bold, as Palpatine is quite intimidating to say the least. They would need to inspire confidence in the students. And they need an air of command so students in a panic would obey."

"And where do you suggest we find such a person on such a short notice?" Lucius inquired, curious as to what the Headmaster would say. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Why, yes." Dummbledore smiled. "Since you're already here and connected to the school, I thought you'd do nicely."

Lucius stared at Dummbledore in surprise, his blue-gray eyes widening. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Dummbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Did you not say last year that the students and the school were one of your concerns? Isn't that why you're here now?"

Lucius nodded. "Is he like Voldemort?"

"A very advanced Voldemort." The Headmaster leaned back in his chair. "I do believe they shall be headed towards Defense Against the Dark Arts about now…"

"Headmaster!" Snape butted in, his hands on Dummbledore's desk. "This is all very well and good putting Lucius in charge of this MESS, but that won't stop the STUDENT from SHEDDING SKIN in MY classroom! What do you propose we do about that?"

A smile appeared on Dummbledore's face. "Well, Severus, I think we should take a page from the Muggle's book on this one. On their flying devices called airplanes they have this special device for when one gets sick. It is commonly called a Puke Bag. I suggest you hand these out to the students and tell them to deposit any body parts that fall off into said bag."

Snape glared at the Headmaster, the nostrils on his large nose flaring. "That's ridiculous!"

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Dummbledore placed a box of the bags onto his desk.

"No, I don't." Snape turned on his heel and stomped out of the office, the large box of the Muggle bags tucked under one arm.

"I will go see what I can do." Lucius turned around to leave Dummbledore's office.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Dummbledore smiled. "I'll have a room prepared for you."

Sighing, Lucius stepped onto the moving stairs that led out of Dummbledore's Office. As of yet he didn't have the slightest idea of what he could possibly do about Palpatine. And if he truly was a more advanced version of Voldemort, there was nothing he could do. But still, he had accepted the position so he might as well go track the man down. The stairs came to a stop and Lucius stepped into the hallway just in time to see his quarry disappear around the corner. Snake-headed cane in hand, Lucius marched down the hallway after him. By the time he rounded the corner he saw Palpatine enter Defense Against the Dark Arts. Bravely, Lucius set off after him. He would observe him in class and see for himself what the man was like.

As in his other classes, Palpatine sat at the front. He had reached the class just in time. Within moments of his arrival the rest of the students filed in and all the seats were filled. Attendance went smoothly and then Professor Lupin asked them all to follow him into the other room. There he stood before a big wardrobe and started to explain about Boggarts. Palpatine listened carefully, fascinated, as he had never heard of such a creature. He watched the demonstration with Neville and when Lupin asked them to form a line, he was certain that he was first.

"All right, Palpatine!" Lupin called, waving his arm in a forward motion.

Palpatine stepped forward to face the Boggart. The Boggart, which had taken the form of a very confused Professor Snape in an old woman's clothes, changed into a gray puddle on the floor. The puddle just sat there, unmoving.

Lupin stared at the pale gray puddle for a moment, confusion clear on his face. A noisy buzz drifted through the class as they too became confused as to what the gray puddle was supposed to be.

Lucius silently slipped into the class and watched with interest.

"Palpatine," Professor Lupin said. "Exactly what are you frightened of?"

"Nothing." Palpatine replied, his red eyes on the now shapeless Boggart.

"But everyone is scared of something!" Lupin insisted. "There must be something…"

"As a Sith, I am fearless." Palpatine stated.

"Surely death fears you…" Lupin suggested.

"I have clones prepared and waiting that day, so it does not concern me." Palpatine smiled at the clearly upset teacher who appeared to be at a loss of words. "You do not understand the true nature of the Force. I do."

"Professor," Hermoine butted in as she stared at the shapeless gray puddle on the floor. "Is that a Boggart's true form, the one that no one has ever seen before?"

"I guess it must be…" Lupin replied, clearly shocked. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts had just become much harder than he ever dreamed.

To be continued…


	3. Charms and Flying Lessons

Emperor of Slytherin 3

Emperor Palpatine cackled gleefully as he slowly filed out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the other students hanging back and allowing him to exit first. His plan was going along smoothly just as he knew it would. It was almost as fun as outwitting the incredibly dumb Jedi Council all those years ago. They had wasted time and money searching the galaxy for the Sith while he had been right there all along. It had been incredibly delicious! Not that his current scheme was anywhere near that complex, but it was still fun. Yes, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed fun of this magnitude. Chasing after those pitiful Rebels just wasn't the same…

He cackled louder as he thought of the stunned and confused look on the teacher's face when the Boggart had refused to do anything. The man didn't have the slightest idea of what to do in such a situation. After all, such a situation was supposed to be impossible. It was clear he had never met a Sith before. Lupin was obviously incompetent to teach, but then, that went for all the teachers in the school.

His mind focused on the present moment, he walked down the torch lit hallway. He noticed how the other students gave him a wide berth, some going as far as to press their backs fearfully against the cold granite walls as he passed. Palpatine had heard the zombie rot rumors and secretly adored them, as they advanced his plans. The fear and terror in the students' eyes pleased him to no end. Digging the paper from his robe pocket, Palpatine studied it. His next class was something called Charms and he wondered what idiocy they would be teaching there. He could be perfectly charming when he wished to be. It is, after all, how he came to be ruling the galaxy. He walked down the very center of the hallway and stared at a group of First Years. Their startled eyes widened in fear and they went screaming back the way they had come. It was music to his ears…

"Look at that old zombie, hogging the hall!" Draco complained to the ever present Crabbe and Goyle. Since Palpatine had appeared on the train he had been the center of attention. And Draco didn't like it one bit. It had been bad enough with Potter being the star of the school! He wished his Father could just Avada Kedavra him but then he probably would get in trouble. His Father's status as a Death Eater and a loyal follower of Voldemort was supposed to be a secret. It wouldn't do for the school's Governor to be caught murdering a student, even if said student was decaying already. "Who does he think he is? I bet he's not even an Emperor, just some old coot."

Draco considered passing him up as he would Potter and the Dream Team but then remembered that red sword thing in Potions. What had Granger called it, a maser, taser, laser? What if the zombie whipped it out suddenly? The thought twisted his stomach and his face grew paler at the thought of the sword passing through his body. Yet, something had to be done about him. Maybe a hex…

"Draco." Lucius appeared from behind his son.

"Yes, Father?" Draco turned to face the older wizard, his gray eyes focusing on his father's face.

"I want you to stay clear of Palpatine. Don't provoke him." Lucius ordered. Since he had learned that Palpatine was a more advanced form of Voldemort he had grown even more concerned for his son's safety. That old fool Dumbledore had really made a major blunder this time, letting a person like that into the school! Of course, it wouldn't bother him if the man harmed a few Muggle-borns, but the man was an unknown and had no allegiance to the Purebloods. Draco could very well end up in the hospital or even worse. "Don't do anything foolish!"

"Yes, Father." Draco agreed automatically, his face perfectly calm and the model of obedience. But inside, that was a different matter entirely. He hated that his father was treating him like a child! Why, he was thirteen! Surely he could get rid of one old man on his own? The guy couldn't even climb the stairs to Divinations! What he needed was a plan…

"I mean it, Draco!" Lucius glared at him, then leaned closer to his son. "The man is far more dangerous then he looks. You should not judge him by his appearance. Appearances can be deceiving. As a Slytherin you should know this."

Draco nodded. He knew exactly what his father meant. Lucius himself used the idea quite well, until he stupidly started threatening people to sign some dumb paper about Dumbledore last year. He had showed his true colors then and had ruined his 'I'm an honest and respectable nobleman' act. "Yes, Father. Will you be kicking him out of school then?"

"Not yet, Draco." Lucius informed his son, his eyes still on the dark robed figure of Palpatine heading towards Charms. Merlin, the man was incredibly slow! Still, the Governor appreciated the extra time to warn his one and only heir to the dangers. "But I will be staying at the school for awhile as part of the staff. I'm glad you informed me of this situation."

The younger Slytherin smiled, pleased with his father's high praise. It wasn't often Draco was applauded by his father. More often it was the exact opposite. Lucius demanded near perfection from his son, both in manners and grades. Then there was Quidditch. It really rankled that scar head Potter beat him each and every time! It wasn't right, not right at all! He was the Pureblood and was clearly better than Potter, so why did the slob keep beating him? He was an embarrassment to the school and couldn't even keep himself clean half the time with his hair a mess and dirt smeared on his face, glasses askew. "Thank you, Father."

"You best hurry to class, Son." Lucius recommended.

"Yes, Father." Draco turned and stalked down the corridor. The old zombie wasn't in sight now but then Charms was just ahead. Crabbe and Goyle were forced to jog to keep up with him and this secretly pleased the blonde. A smirk crossed his lips as he realized his Father working at the school for a while would surely grate on Potter's nerve. It was no secret that the two didn't exactly get along. In fact, he rather thought they hated each other. That, in turn, could create more fun for him. Draco's gray eyes shifted to his two overweight companions. Crabbe's face was red and he huffed loudly through his open mouth, sweat beading on his forehead. And Goyle wasn't doing much better. In general, the two served him quite well as bodyguards but he was uncertain how they would do against Palpatine. They were extraordinary dumb. That was fine for bullying normal students, especially Hufflepuffs, but if what his father suggested were true about the old zombie then they'd just be in the way. No, one needed brains to get rid of Palpatine.

Draco hurried into the Charms classroom and sat down just before the bell rang. Potter and the other two just barely made it on time and he sneered at them. His sneer vanished when scar head was forced to take a seat next to him, the other seats already filled. But then this could work to his advantage, couldn't it? "Potter!"

"What?" Harry asked as he glanced at the blonde next to him, sure he was going to make some nasty remark.

"Notice who's been following you?" Draco drawled just loud enough for Harry to hear.

Potter stared at him dumbly. "No one's been following me."

"Look behind you." Draco hissed, a pleased expression on his narrow face.

Harry tried to ignore the comment sure it was some trick. The Slytherin and his two cronies would get a laugh at his expense, as there surely was no one behind him at all. How could there be as they were in the last row of the class? But if that was true, why were the hairs on the back of his neck standing up? It felt as if someone was watching him. Twisting his head, he spotted Lucius Malfoy standing in the back of the room. Great, just great!

Draco sneered. "Today just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it, Potter?"

"At least I don't need my father to hold my hand at school, Malfoy!" Harry glared. "I fight my own battles."

"How dare you!" Draco snarled, furious. It rankled that Potter had insulted him again.

"You're just scared of that harmless old man!" Harry insisted. By the expression on Draco's face, Harry knew he hit the nail on the head. "That's why you called your Daddy over. You're just a spoiled git who's used to someone else doing everything for you, aren't you, Malfoy? I bet you can't even tie your own shoes! Is that why Crabbe and Goyle really follow you around? Afraid a shoe will come untied and you won't know how to fix it?"

Draco's face grew red and the muscles in his neck twitched. His hand clutched his wand tightly and the words to a hex flashed through his mind. But he remembered his father was in the classroom and he didn't dare hex Potter, not in front of his old man. If he did, he'd never hear the end of it. So he tried to calm himself, to regain control, but it wasn't easy.

"Thought so…" Potter replied, satisfied he had gotten the last word. "You're nothing but a little coward."

"I am not!" Draco insisted as he glared at the other boy's green eyes. The red jagged scar was clearly visible on Potter's forehead and the blonde couldn't help staring at it for a moment. It was the reason the dark-haired boy received all the attention and it was just stupid. It was nothing but a dumb old scar! The anger bubbled inside him, fueled by the insults. "I am not a coward!"

"Then prove it!" Harry simply said, his eyes intense like dark emeralds. He leaned back in his chair and casually crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Get rid of the old man," Harry smiled at the blonde, sure it would infuriate him. "Or are you going to start calling him Master and follow him around like a puppy dog?"

"I'll do it!" Draco vowed, the anger still coursing hot through his veins. "You'll see!"

"See that you do." Harry replied, satisfied he'd successfully pushed one of the school's problems onto Draco. That was one less thing for him to worry about…

"Stupid Potter…" Draco mumbled under his breath. "Calling me a coward…"

Up at the front of the classroom, Neville was having a truly awful day and had been forced to share a table with Palpatine courtesy of the other Slytherins. He sat hunched over as far to the side as he could in an attempt to avoid catching the dread Zombie Rot. He had heard about the terrible disease from a very helpful First Year in Ravenclaw. His body shook and quivered uncontrollably as he cast terrified glances at the old man. He had never been this close to Palpatine before and he looked even worse, if that were possible. The grooves on his forehead appeared deeper; his skin more rotten and a dreadful stench wafted off him. The smell reminded Neville of open graves and mummified corpses. Worst, an unexplainable cold seemed to drift off him as if it were the middle of January instead of the beginning of September. And then there were those terrible red eyes… So the boy quivered at the table, whimpering in fear.

"Class, class!" Professor Flitwick called from where he stood on a tall stack of books. "Your attention please! Welcome to Third Year Charms! I see we have a new student with us. I understand this is your first year taking Charms?"

"Yes." Palpatine replied.

"Well, this is very irregular." Professor Flitwick remarked as he waved him wand around at random as he spoke. "Do you know any charms? Can you levitate objects? Call objects to you from across the room, anything like that? Because if you can't, you'd be better with the First Years."

The entire class, except Neville, leaned forward eagerly to see what Palpatine would say.

Without saying a word, Palpatine lifted a pale gnawed hand and pointed it at a stack of books. The books floated up from the floor and started to spin around in the air. The old man moved his finger this way and that, the books obeying his commands. More objects within the room began to join the mid-air dance: a stack of pillows from within a box, a lit candelabra which stayed upright and even Flitwick's heavy desk.

The class gasped at this show of wandless magic.

Lucius glanced at the classroom door as it began to slam repeatedly open and closed. Then the shutters over the windows joined the act.

"Marvelous!" Professor Flitwick cried from atop the books. "What a wonderful show of wandless magic!"

Palpatine appeared bored. This was elementary Force use. The books, desk and pillows settled back to where they had come from. The windows and doors stopped banging.

"Why don't you go join the First Years in a flying lesson?" Flitwick asked. "You're obviously an expert at Charms! You'd no doubt be bored here among the Third Years…"

"Flying lessons?" Palpatine asked, interested. This was something new…

"Yes, the First Years are just lining up now just outside in the green courtyard. The Headmaster was sure you'd be an expert in at least several classes here at Hogwarts, so he was sure you'd have time for flying lessons." Flitwick explained as he clapped his hands together in joy. "I'll tell Madam Hooch to wait for you."

Palpatine rose from his seat and headed out the door towards the interior courtyard. As soon as he was gone, Neville collapsed into a boneless heap on the floor. Tears of relief spilled from his eyes.

"Oh my!" Flitwick exclaimed as he gazed down at Neville in concern. "Mr. Longbottom is ill! Would someone be kind enough to escort him to the hospital?"

"I'll do it." Mr. Malfoy volunteered as he boldly marched to the front of the class and gripped Neville by his wrist. It was a simple matter to haul the boy to his feet and drag him out of the room. Once out in the hall, he propped Neville against the wall. "Get a hold of yourself, Mr. Longbottom. Your parents were aurors. Now tell me what's wrong."

Neville blubbered something, the tears still running down his face.

"I can't understand what you're saying." Lucius said. "Dumbledore has put me in charge of this problem with Mr. Palpatine. But you need to tell me what he did or said."

"He … He …" Neville stuttered.

"Yes?"

"He SCARES me!" Neville spitted out.

"He scares you?" Lucius repeated, blinking his eyes. "Has he threatened you?"

"He has Zombie Rot!" Neville cried and desperately clung to Mr. Malfoy's arm, tears soaking in his sleeve. "I don't want to die of zombie rot!"

"There is no such thing as zombie rot!" Lucius exclaimed, unsure of what to do with the clinging boy. No one had ever clung to him in this manner before and to say he felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. He slowly started to head towards the hospital, the boy coming along still glued to his arm. "That's just a rumor."

"He's going to kill me!" Neville shrieked.

"Now why would he do that?" Lucius asked.

"Because … you know."

"No, I don't know. You have to tell me."

"Because he's You Know Who back from the grave!"

Lucius sighed. Did the entire school think Palpatine was Voldemort? If so, it could create chaos among a large portion of the student body. It was almost impossible to squash rumors once they got started. What did that old fool expect him to do? If Longbottom was an example of what Palpatine could DO just by being in a room with students…

He led Neville around the corner and started up the stairs towards the hospital.

"Lucius!" Professor McGonagall called, her voice in a panic. "You must come at once! There's a riot going on outside among the First Years!"

"A riot?" Lucius pulled Neville off his arm and hurried back down the stairs towards Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, a riot!" She confirmed. "I saw it through my window! That new student is involved! I'll take care of Mr. Longbottom."

Lucius hurried down the hall and headed for the nearest door that led out to the courtyard. Once outside, he saw that McGonagall was right and a riot was going on! Terrified First Years raced around the green square of grass shrieking as loudly as they could. A few held broomsticks but most of the brooms lay discarded on the grass and were getting trampled. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and yelled at them to calm down but to no avail. One girl with a pair of long pigtails stood near the center of the grassy square and cried. Palpatine lay on the ground near her, a broom in his hand. It was easy for the Slytherin Governor to ascertain what had happened. Palpatine had attempted to mount his broom, lost his balance and must have fallen on top of the girl with the pigtails. The terrified First Year was now convinced she was going to die of zombie rot and her classmates were in a wild panic less they catch it, too!

After much yelling and screaming at the First Years, he managed to get them herded together and back into the castle. The only thing that had calmed them was a promised visit to the hospital where they could all drink a 'cure' to zombie rot. He only hoped that Madam Pomphrey could find some harmless yet foul tasting potion for them. It was only after they were all safe in the care of the nurse did he realize he had totally forgotten about Palpatine!

Alarmed, he hurried back to the courtyard.

"AAAhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Palpatine shrieked as he clung to the broom and zoomed through the air. He hadn't quite got the hang of riding a broom yet and so he smashed right into the side of the castle. His red eyes were wide open and his mouth was a black gaping hole.

"Mr. Palpatine! Come down here!" Madam Hooch yelled.

"AAHhhhhhhhhhhh!" Palpatine shrieked as he hit the castle again, then zoomed off straight up into the air. The broom seemed to have a mind of its own and it was taking the Emperor on a wild ride. Flipping over, it dove straight at the ground. At the very last moment it pulled its handle up and the broom zoomed straight at Lucius. The Governor was forced to flatten himself onto the ground and he felt Palpatine zip by right above him, the air of his passage tugging on the Slytherin's hair and robes.

"Really! I never saw anyone who was so terrible at flying!" Madam Hooch complained, her hands on hips. "Except for Mr. Longbottom, that is. But I do swear this one is far worse!"

Lucius crawled to his feet, ignoring the grumpy flying instructor. His only concern was Palpatine and his whereabouts. It was oddly quite and he couldn't hear the elderly man's screams anymore. Glancing behind himself, he saw to his horror the door to the castle was still open! Palpatine must have flown right inside and was even now zooming down the hallways!

"Merlin! He'll create a real disaster!" Lucius raced into the school and listened for the sound of students screaming. It was too quite and he didn't care for it at all. The school was huge and who knew where the old troublemaker had flown? The bell rang signaling the end of class and the beginning of the lunch hour. The hall began to fill with excited students, most heading towards the Great Hall.

A loud shriek cut through the usual murmur of voices and he hurried in that direction. It seemed to come from just up ahead…

A crowd of girls stood outside the girls' bathroom. Some appeared to be excited while others looked fearful. This bathroom, he noted, was near the Charms classroom Palpatine had left less than an hour ago. A familiar head of bushy brown hair appeared in the crowd and he saw it was Miss Granger.

"He's in the girls' bathroom." Hermoine pointed towards the bathroom with one hand.

Of course it would have to be the girls' bathroom, not the boys' bathroom.

Sighing, Lucius pushed his way through the crowd and peered into the large, empty room. The floor was covered in a thick layer of water and he could see the lower half of Palpatine's body sticking out from a door on a toilet stall. He marched up to the still kicking legs and pulled the old man free. At first Lucius was slightly confused as to where all the water had come from but then he realized the big, thick stone sink had been sliced in half. Water sprayed up into the air like a fountain and the wizard swore under his breath. It was clear Palpatine must have used his red bladed sword again! The sink had been between the bathroom's doorway and the toilet stall. If he had hit the stone sink head-on it probably would have killed the old coot.

His robe soaking wet, Lucius hauled Palpatine out of the bathroom and towards the hospital. The man appeared uninjured but it was best to take no chances.

To be continued…


	4. Lunch Hour!

Emperor of Slytherin 4

Author's Note: You'll be glad to know I thought up a bigger plot for this story, so lots of surprises will be coming in future chapters! Someone asked if Lord Vader would make an appearance at Hogwarts. That is a big YES but alas he will have a small part, more akin to a guest appearance (unless I change my mind). This story is about Palpatine after all… Palpy is relying on Vader to run the Empire in his absence you know. Other Potter characters may pop up into the plot though. And now on with the story! Oh, I never wrote Madam Pomphrey before so do excuse if she is a bit OOC.

Palpatine cackled at the screaming horde of First Years that dashed out of the Hospital Wing at his sudden appearance. It pleased him even more that the annoying man that had taken to following him around had almost gotten trampled by the students. Unfortunately he had leaped out of their path at the last moment only to crash to the floor in an undignified heap. The Emperor shook his still dripping head sadly. What a pity. It had been years since he had seen someone trampled. Still, the man reminded him of the long deceased Jedi Council and he certainly knew how to deal with that kind! A smile crossed the elderly man's decayed face as he slowly entered the hospital room. Yes, it was clear his helpful follower was nothing but a low-level paper pusher and had no clear idea of the real power he possessed. Of course, the man probably thought he was wise about such things. Well, he would learn the hard way and that pleased the Emperor, for it meant more fun for him!

Lucius picked himself off the floor and brushed his long white locks out of his eyes. He couldn't believe the students had almost trampled him! He, the School Governor and a Malfoy no less! His blue-gray eyes focused on the still-dripping elderly man and he pondered how he had managed to instill such fear in the student body without actually doing anything. Voldemort had to kill and put the Dark Mark in the sky while all Palpatine did was waddle into a room! Straightening his robes and running a hand through his hair in a lame attempt to smooth it, he stepped up to Palpatine. He had, of course, used a simple drying spell on his hair and clothing. It wouldn't do for a Malfoy to go around dripping wet in public. "I do not believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Lucius Malfoy, School Governor."

Palpatine smiled sweetly, his years as a Senator and Supreme Chancellor serving him well. All his evilness seemed to melt away like butter in a hot pan and he seemed to be an innocent old man, one who possessed incredibly bad skin and had an eye problem. The Emperor held out his hand in greeting. "Emperor Palpatine. I can't say how pleased I am at the opportunity to attend such a wonderful institution of learning! I know it's highly irregular and apparently upsets some of the students, an incidence which I'm truly regretful for I assure you. And that poor door in the lavatory; I will gladly pay for that…"

"There is no need. Magic can repair it." Lucius informed him as he uncertainly took the proffered hand. As his black glove touched Palpatine's hand an intense feeling of icy cold and dread filled him. He had never felt such an affect from a living person before, not even Lord Voldemort. A shiver traveled down his spine and it took all his will power not to jerk his hand away instinctively. It would not do to loose face with his opponent. And Palpatine was defiantly his opponent while he was attending Hogwarts. He clasped the old man's hand for several seconds more and then pulled his hand away.

"Really?" Palpatine asked with one eyebrow raised. That was interesting and opened new possibilities. If he could repair things with the Force at a critical moment…

"Yes." Lucius boldly stared him in the eye. The red eyes were unnerving and he was ashamed to admit he was beginning to feel a bit of what the kids felt. Could Palpatine truly be so evil that darkness leaked from the man's pores? But surely that was impossible. It made more sense that the children feared him due to a case of mistaken identity. Everyone feared Lord Voldemort, even his loyal followers. But that did not explain the chill he had felt upon touching him. He had been about to ask Palpatine a more pressing question when Madam Pomphrey hurried into the room.

"Oh! Just look at you! You'll catch your death in those wet robes!" Madam Pomphrey cast a glare in Lucius's direction and immediately cast a drying spell on the Emperor. Astonished, the Emperor held up his suddenly dry sleeve and stared at it in open surprise. "Now lets take a look at you…"

She carefully examined his head and face, paying especially close attention to the skull. She knew he had collided into a bathroom stall door and at his age that was extremely dangerous. It could cause concussion, bleeding and all sorts of problems. And the last thing she wanted was for a visiting dignitary to die while visiting the school. The Headmaster would be furious not to mention the Ministry of Magic! Not that Dumbledore had a bad temper; he was extremely gentle and forgiving. But as a practitioner of the healing arts she felt she must do her utter best, as always, even if he was the cause of fear among the students. And it was unfortunate really. He seemed such a sweet old man…

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked as she held three fingers up.

"Three." Palpatine answered.

"Well, you seem perfectly fine. You may go and please try to be more careful next time while riding a broom. You were extremely lucky this time." Madam Pomphrey told him.

"Thank you." Palpatine stood up from the bed he had been sitting on and slowly walked out of the hospital room, Lucius following him. They entered the torch lit corridor and started down the stairs towards the Great Hall. It was the lunch hour and the delicious aromas of the food being served floated up to their noses. The Emperor glanced at the other man, an innocent expression on his face. "Is there some reason you are following me?"

"I have concerns about your affect on the students." Lucius admitted as he was forced to slow his pace to the incredibly slow gate of the older man. How he ever managed to attend classes while moving so slowly was a total mystery and one Lucius intended to solve. "Your presence seems to frighten them. I think many seem to have you confused with someone else…"

"Really?" Palpatine carefully made his way down the stone stairs, his robe trailing on the steps behind him. One hand was pressed to the cold wall next to him for balance. "And who might that be?"

"We do not speak his name." Lucius informed the Emperor. "But it will suffice to say he did terrible deeds and many fear his return. Everyone in the Wizarding World knows of him and fears him."

Palpatine paused on one of the steps about halfway down the wide staircase, his thin chest heaving with apparent effort. "I must rest. All these dreadful stairs! A pity you do not have lifts…"

"Lifts?" Lucius asked, curious.

"Yes, lifts. You know, elevators?"

A frown crossed Lucius's face. "Wizards don't need Muggle things."

"On the contrary, I find Muggles very useful indeed." Palpatine remarked as he leaned heavily against the nearby wall, resting. He knew that Muggles were normal people that did not possess the Force and had no magical powers. In the Empire he had all the other Force users hunted down and killed, as they were a threat to his rise to power. He and Lord Vader were the only Force users and he liked it that way. And Vader was totally loyal to him; he had seen to that long ago and had molded him since he had been a mere boy of nine. "They are my loyal subjects."

Lucius eyed Palpatine, a question on the tip of his tongue. The man's unusual appearance was apparently the main root of the problem but it may be a delicate subject and he was uncertain of asking. Still, he needed answers. And to be truthful he was curious as to how his skin got to be, well, decaying. And where in Merlin's name did the man come from? He had certainly never heard of a wizard by the name of Palpatine. "May I ask exactly what is wrong with your skin?"

Palpatine stared at him. "You may."

"Well, what is it?" Lucius asked again and impatiently waited for a reply.

The Emperor beckoned him closer with a hooked finger, a not so nice smile on his lips. "Come closer and I will tell you."

His stomach in a knot, Lucius stepped closer to the Emperor. Being this close to the man was terrifying, there could be no other word for it. He seemed to have the same affect that the Dementors had, but surely that was impossible? Palpatine's red eyes held his gaze and he found himself unable to look away. If he had a doubt before about the man being a Dark Wizard there was no doubt now. He definitely was far worse than Voldemort. What in Merlin's name had that old fool let into the school?

"This," Palpatine touched his decaying cheek with a gnawed bony hand. "Is the affect of the Dark Side. But then, you knew I'm on the Dark Side, didn't you?"

Lucius was rooted to the spot where he stood and dumbly nodded.

"Yes, this is the price one pays for being a Dark Wizard." Palpatine smiled, his partly open mouth revealing black and yellow teeth. A horrible stench, corroded, dank and smelling of graves wafted out to strike the other man in the face. The Emperor saw him flinch and was pleased. Lucius was clearly vain and he had hit him where it hurts. "Your body rots while you are still alive. But it is of no concern to me. Surely you knew this, didn't you?"

With that last statement, Palpatine turned and continued down the staircase to the Great Hall. With any luck he would still have time to eat something.

Shocked, Lucius watched the Emperor descend the steps and vanish from sight. Suddenly feeling tired; he sat down on the steps to rest. To think that he was actually decaying while alive, that was utterly horrible. It was worst than horrible, it was ghastly! His Master had never told him anything about THAT when he had joined the Death Eaters. No, Voldemort had just promised him power and the opportunity to eliminate the annoying Muggle-borns. Without knowing it, his hand rose to touch his still smooth cheek. He wanted power, yes, but he didn't want to end up looking like a zombie! And that smell… It was obvious Voldemort had been keeping secrets from him and big ones to boot!

In the Great Hall, Draco was actually enjoying his dinner. The old Zombie hadn't showed up for lunch and the blonde Slytherin hoped the old coot had gotten lost somewhere. Or better yet, maybe he was stuck comatose in the hospital ward and would end up an onion in St. Mungo's. Was that how the Muggle expression went, end up an onion? Draco shrugged, as it really didn't matter. The important thing is that the zombie was gone and now he wouldn't have to prove himself to Potter.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and Palpatine waddled in. The old man slowly made his way across the huge room and headed towards his special chair at the end of the Slytherin table. A hush fell across the room and it was suddenly so quite that one could actually hear the candles burning, the crackle of the open flames. A pleased expression was on the zombie's face. He finally reached his padded chair and seated himself. Slowly the voices resumed, with most if not all of the whispers centering on the new student.

"Look!" Semus shouted with excitement at the Gryffindor table, the Daily Prophet in his hands. "Sirius Black has been spotted!"

But no one spared him a glance as all eyes were locked on Palpatine.

"What are you going to do about him Harry?" Ron asked as he licked the last of the chocolate frosting from his fingers. They had served chocolate cake for dessert and Ron had helped himself to it twice.

"About what?" Harry asked as he glanced up from his plate still full of cake.

"About that creepy guy!" Ron replied as he rolled his eyes. "It's what everyone is talking about! Haven't you been listening?"

"I'm not going to do anything." Harry stated as he stabbed a piece of cake with his fork and moved it to his mouth.

"But Harry!" Hermoine cried, aghast at his words. "You have to do something! Look what he did to poor Neville!"

"But why does it have to be ME?" Harry asked, afraid that he already knew the answer. "There are other people in this school you know…."

"Yes, but you killed the basilisk and got rid of Professor Quirrel!" Hermoine pointed out from her place across the table. "You have GOT to do something!"

"Yeah, you have to!" Ron agreed as he stared at the boy with the glasses.

"Didn't anyone hear me?" Semus asked from where he stood near Hermoine. "I said Sirius Black was spotted near here! He's the escaped prisoner from Azkaban, remember, the raving lunatic?"

"So?" Ron shifted his gaze to Semus and rolled his eyes. "Who cares about that? We're talking about that old guy!"

Shaking his head and mumbling, Semus returned to his seat.

Ron returned his attention to Harry. "So, what's your plan?"

Harry sighed. "I took care of it last hour, in Charms."

"What do you mean?" Hermoine narrowed her brown eyes and stared at him in confusion.

"I dared Draco to get rid of him." Harry admitted as he stabbed another piece of chocolate cake.

"Harry!" Hermoine cried, horrified. "He'll be killed!"

"So?" Ron remarked as he stared at her, puzzled and unconcerned. "He's just an annoying git anyway."

"Even if he is, it's not right!" Hermoine insisted as she glared at Harry. "You better make sure he doesn't get hurt or it'll be your fault!"

"My fault?"

"Yes, yours!" Hermoine repeated, her voice firm. "He doesn't know any better and he's just dumb enough to try it! You two are always bashing heads and now you dared him to do something extremely stupid!"

"But it's OK if I try to get rid of him?" Harry asked her.

"Well, that's different!" she remarked coolly as she gazed into his green eyes. "You're a great wizard, Harry. You've proved yourself twice already and you know it. But you know he's a little coward. He's liable to get hurt."

Harry moaned and hung onto his suddenly aching head. "I wish that old guy had never come here…"

Over at the Slytherin table, Draco was having similar thoughts. The old zombie apparently was not on his way to St. Mungo's but was apparently alive and well. "Great, just great! Now I'll have to think up some way to get rid of him…"

The problem was that Draco had no idea of how he could do that without getting expelled or caught by his Father. The senior Malfoy seemed to be following the old guy everywhere, no doubt thanks to Dumbledore's orders. It rankled that his Father was apparently taking orders from the old fool, but he couldn't do anything about that. Leaning out from his seat, he peered down the table at the zombie. Yes, he was there busy eating. "Maybe I could hex him later…"

Yes, that might work. Maybe the old guy didn't know about hexes.

And maybe he knew something far worse than hexes could ever be and that worried Draco to no end. His gray eyes flickered to the teacher's table and he grew slightly concerned when he realized his Father wasn't there. Had the zombie done something to him? But then the doors opened again and he breathed a sigh of relief when Lucius walked in and seated himself next to Snape. His Father looked out of sorts and Draco wondered why. It was obviously the zombie's fault though. "I'll hex him tonight! Slytherin House is mine!"

Crabbe and Goyle cast him worried looks.

"What? Are you two scared? I'll do it myself if I have to, if you're scared of an old man that can't even climb the stairs to Divinations…"

"Well, he is kind of creepy…" Goyle nervously stated.

"And old wizards are usually powerful, aren't they?" Crabbe asked.

"Well, if he's so powerful why is he attending school?" Draco asked his two cronies.

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

"So he can't be all that bright then, can he?" Draco drawled, feeling more confident as he talked.

"But didn't your Father say not to mess with him?" Crabbe asked a bit fearfully. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Draco angry with him.

"What? Do you do everything your Father says?" Draco demanded to know. "I'm not a baby! I'm thirteen! Act your age, Crabbe!"

Embarrassed, Crabbe hung his head to hide his bright red face.

"Now, we'll try a simple hex on him first just to see what happens. There's a chance he doesn't know about them at all I think." Draco planned out loud as he idly ran his fingers across the table's smooth surface.

Pansy Parkinson cooed at the blonde Slytherin. "Oh, Draco! You're so brave!"

Draco leaned back a bit, a satisfied smirk on his narrow face. The old zombie wouldn't know what hit him!

Goyle was leaning over the table, his thick waist jammed up painfully against the unforgiving wood. He could see the old guy way down at the end and he appeared to be doing something. "Draco, look! The zombie is doing weird stuff!"

"What?" Draco also leaned over the table to see what Palpatine was doing that was so interesting.

Finished with his meal, Palpatine had pulled a padd out of his pocket and was busy typing away on its keys. Since it was far advanced technology it worked just fine inside Hogwarts. Although he appeared to be typing a report, the Emperor was doing something far more devious. He had promised the inept Care of Magical Creatures teacher a reward and he planned on keeping his word. Oh yes, class tomorrow would be FAR more interesting! Cackling evilly, Palpatine pressed the big red button on the padd and sent the order out to the Star Destroyer in orbit. Within moments the Captain of said Star Destroyer would be bending over backward to follow the Imperial order. Finished for the moment, he tucked the padd safely back inside his pocket and pulled out the piece of parchment with his classes on it. "What insanity must I face next?"

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and the students scrambled from their seats to hurry to the afternoon classes. Rising more slowly, Palpatine waddled out of the Great Hall towards his next class.

To be continued…

Hope that was OK. I know it wasn't very funny but I need to work the plot in, too.


	5. SnapperSaw!

Emperor of Slytherin 5

Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews! I really appreciate it. I have decided that Vader will make more than one appearance so that should help you get your Vader fix. As to the other reviews: Sirius Black a Jedi? I'm afraid that might not fit into this story (but I have plans for a second SW/HP crossover when this one is finished). Remember Palpatine killed the Jedi and there's really no one around to train Sirius. In this time frame Yoda is either dead or dying, Obi-Wan is a ghost and Luke has learned the mere basics. Also the age thing comes to mind. Jedi usually start training when they're very young. Even Ani was considered too old in Episode 1! But we'll see… Ok, moving onto the Imperial Guard question. I did think about that when I started the story as they normally accompany Palpatine when he travels. But I couldn't have them follow him around at school. But they may make a guest appearance. Lucius ask Harry for help? I suppose he may if he was desperate enough, but it's still the first day of classes at Hogwarts… Oh, I'm not really sure exactly how many classes Hogwarts has each day SO I'm just revolving the classes each day. That is Palpatine will attend the same classes each day and creates havoc in them. Not exactly Hogwarts, I know, but close enough… And Yes, Lupin will return! Remember, when Harry and Draco are not in DADA Lupin is teaching other students so he's not exactly free… I will also try to create new lessons for Lupin to teach them (but I can't promise anything great). And now on with the story!

Palpatine cackled gleefully as he slowly made his way down the long torch lit hallway towards Herbology. His plan was going perfectly! He would turn the school upside-down while at the same time being the model student. It was so devious that they would be unable to expel him. And this was far more fun than chasing those drat Rebels around the galaxy. He knew where the Rebels would be and what would happen for he had foreseen it. Yes, he would destroy them with his new Death Star and Young Skywalker would join the Dark Side. But first he needed to attend to more important matters here on this backwater planet. A threat was lurking and he meant to destroy it. In due time the right person would show up and destiny would unfold as it had in his visions. Yes, it would be glorious! He would once again prove himself to be superior in both intellect and Force power while the other had his life drained slowly… And as for those Wizard fools, well, they would all bow to him. Yes, that was how it would be.

Since the other students had left the Great Hall before he had, Palpatine was the last to arrive at the greenhouse that served as a classroom. He simply observed for a long moment, watching as the others pulled on white lab coats. Well, they looked like lab coats to him. It was ironic how closely the Wizarding World paralleled the Muggle World, not that any of the wizards would ever admit that. But it was true and the Emperor knew it. They seemed to suffer a severe technology phobia but then that worked in his favor. Stepping forward, he pulled a white coat off a nearby hook and attempted to stick his hand into the sleeve hole. He managed this without difficulty, but couldn't seem to pull it up over his shoulder. "Drat! My arthritis is acting up again!"

This last bit the Emperor had said loudly so all in the room could hear him.

The Slytherins and Gryffindors stared at him with wide-open eyes. A few took hesitant steps backward, fear plain on their faces. Neville was one of them, of course. Madam Pomphrey had fed him a calming potion but now it was wearing off as the source of his fear was back again. He glanced towards the school hero, hoping against hope that Harry would do something spectacular and make the old man leave. But to his dismay the other boy was just buttoning his white coat. In fact, Harry wasn't even looking towards Palpatine at all. "Harry…"

"What is it, Neville?" Harry asked as he lifted his gaze to the frightened boy.

Neville's lower lip trembled and he simply pointed at the Emperor.

But before Harry could reply, he was shoved out of the way by an elbow in his ribs. Harry stumbled sideways and collided into Ron. Both boys tumbled to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Don't worry, Longbottom. I'll take care of him for you." Draco boldly marched up to the elderly man who still struggled with the white coat. "Listen old man. You're giving Slytherin House a bad name. You're a disgrace, can't even put a coat on! You're worst than Potter and Dumbledore combined!"

Palpatine gazed at the blonde boy before him. "Will you help me with my coat?"

"I'm not a House Elf! I'm a Pureblood!" Draco snarled. The only reason why he was confronting Palpatine now was because his father was nowhere in sight and he didn't know when he'd get the next chance. More important, he wanted to prove to Potter that he wasn't scared of the old creep after all. His heart beat rapidly within his chest cavity and he felt partly out of control. The feeling was both scary and intoxicating at the same time. A rush of adrenaline coursed through his system, giving him the same type of high he felt during an exciting Quidditch match. Could this be why Potter kept playing the school hero all the time, to get this feeling? Of course, it could go terribly wrong at any second and that knowledge only seemed to increase the feeling. The Ice Prince of Slytherin stared down his nose at Palpatine, quite a trick since the older man was actually taller than him. Still, Draco was born a Pureblood and had been staring down at people since he had been old enough to understand what being a Malfoy meant and that had been very early. "Why, I bet you're not even an Emperor, are you? We would have heard of you if you were…"

"I assure you I am." Palpatine replied as he still struggled with the white lab coat.

"Well," Draco drawled. "If I were an Emperor I wouldn't be attending this dump. I'd be over at Durmstrung."

Palpatine finally pulled the coat on and coldly stared at Draco. "Do not play games with me, boy. You do not know who you trifle with."

"I do." Draco assured him, his heart half way up his throat. He was being reckless and knew it, yet now that he was on a roll he couldn't stop himself. He could feel dozens of eyes boring into his back and except for a few startled gasps the changing room was as quite as a tomb. "I'm twice the wizard you'll ever be! You're just an old man with bad skin and who can't even pull on a coat!"

"Is that so?" Palpatine's red eyes bore into Draco's gray ones. He could sense the fear that lurked just out of sight behind those overcast eyes. The boy was in over his head and he no doubt knew it, yet he didn't want to loose face in front of his classmates. That took guts and Palpatine admired it. To take on an older, far more experienced foe was either foolish or sheer bravery.

"Of course it is! I said so, didn't I?" Draco's legs were beginning to feel weak like jelly and he hoped he wouldn't be required to move quickly. If Palpatine whipped out that red blade he was done for. It was all he could do to keep his knees locked and keep standing on his feet.

"Fine!" Palpatine cried. "Let us see who will do better at the next lesson, shall we?"

"I'll beat you!" Draco vowed, hoping it were true. He was quite good at Herbology so he knew he had a better than fair chance of beating the zombie. Now if only his nerves would settle down. He felt edgy, his nerves raw. If someone unrepentantly touched him he'd probably shriek like a girl and that would be unforgivable. He'd never live that down and Potter would keep reminding him over and over every chance he'd get. Worst, his Father would hear and then he'd really be in trouble! And where was Father anyway?

While Palpatine had headed to Herbology, Lucius had walked Professor Snape to the Dungeon. "Tell me Severus, do you know anything about that skin condition Palpatine suffers from?"

"I know it's annoying and extremely troublesome." Snape replied as he stalked towards his Potions classroom. "Shouldn't you be trailing after Palpatine, Lucius?"

"I'm sure he can manage for a few minutes by himself. Besides, what possible trouble could he cause in a room full of plants?" The things Palpatine had told him still rolled around in Lucius' mind and he found them troubling. And if he wasn't mistaken, the man had told him the truth. "Do you know what he told me, Severus?"

"No." Snape said as he stared directly ahead. "But I suppose I must suffer through whatever nonsense he told you, as you seem set on telling me."

"He said being a Dark Wizard is what caused his skin to decay…" Lucius said as he glanced at the other Death Eater. "Do you think there's any truth in that?"

"I think you're exceedingly vain." Snape scowled. The Potions Master stopped in the hall near his classroom and stared the other man in the face. "Are you going to start carrying a mirror around now, Lucius? As if you weren't vain enough before…"

"How dare you!" Lucius' blue-gray eyes flashed with anger and his lips curled into a snarl. "At least I take care of myself! That's more than what you do!"

"And what do you mean by that remark?" Snape demanded to know, his eyes darkening.

"When was the last time you washed that sorry excuse for hair? It's a miracle you're not bald!" Lucius taunted, his gloved fingers tightening around his snake-headed cane. "And to think they have you teaching children!"

But Snape wasn't intimidated. He simply glared down his exceedingly large shiny nose at the white haired Pureblood. "I can see you'll get no where with Palpatine. Potter will save the day again, just as he always does. And then you can go crawl back to your Manor and hide from shame."

With that, Snape turned on his heel and stormed into his classroom. The door banged loudly and Lucius found himself alone in the deserted corridor. Anger bubbled inside him and seemed to beat in time to the flickering torchlight. Severus had gotten the last word and it had stung badly. How dare he, a mere teacher, suggest that he couldn't handle Palpatine! "I'm not going to go crawling to Potter for help! Never!"

Lucius reminded himself that he was a Death Eater, a loyal follower of Voldemort. And Voldemort was the world's most powerful wizard!

Or was he?

A flicker of doubt crept in and suddenly he wasn't too sure anymore. And hadn't the argument with Snape started because he had worried that Voldemort hadn't been truthful with him? But instead of taking his question seriously, Snape had attacked his vanity. Then things had gotten out of control and they had fought. And he still didn't have an answer!

"Severus would probably be glad if I ended up looking like that zombie!" Lucius muttered as he made his way up out of the dungeon. Normally he'd never dare speak to himself like this, as it was against the Malfoy Code of Conduct. But it only expressed how upset he was. Although he told himself it was just proper grooming and required for his job at the Ministry, the truth was he was vain. He clothing had to be just so and made of the best materials, his hair perfectly neat and his skin well cared for. So when Palpatine had informed him what Dark Wizardry could DO to a person, well, it was a horrible shock. Not that it happened to all Slytherins. But then most Slytherins were not Death Eaters and seeking incredible power… "He's always been jealous of my good looks…"

Yes, that was it! Severus knew it was true and had refused to tell him!

He rounded a corner and to his relief the Herbology greenhouses were just up ahead. He pushed open the door and entered, not bothering to take a white lab coat from a hook. He would just be observing, not repotting plants as the students no doubt were doing.

Inside the big greenhouse the Third Years were listening to Professor Sprout. The stout teacher spoke loudly and clearly so all could hear her. "Today we will be harvesting Snapper-Saw berries. Who here can tell me why we harvest them?"

Hermoine's hand shot up into the air.

"Miss Granger?"

"Snapper-Saw, or Forester's Bane as it's more commonly called, produces berries rich in protein. They are used in feeding patients who are too ill to eat tougher and more solid forms of protein. But it's exceedingly dangerous. The plant has sharp blade-like leaves that can slice through skin like a knife through melted butter. The shrub is carnivorous and feeds on the victim's blood."

Ron's face twisted up in disgust and he nervously eyed the thick shrubs that grew down the center of the greenhouse. The shrubs were near six feet tall and just as thick. Solid dark green leaves with ribbed edges stuck out from the outer perimeter of the plant while taller smooth leaves grew in the center. It didn't help that the center leaves reminded him of swords. He glanced at Harry, frowning. "This is going to be even worst than last year!"

"Tell me about it…" Harry agreed but stared at the plant before him as if it were Voldemort himself. He started to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming challenge. He had to do this.

Draco looked uncertainly at the Snapper-Saws, the skin around his mouth turning white. It was clear this was going to be harder than anything he had ever done in Herbology before…

"Wonderful! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Sprout cried happily. "Now are you all wearing your dragonskin gloves? Good! Then I'll show you how to harvest the berries. It's not too dangerous if you know what you're doing and if someone gets a limb hacked off, well, I'm sure Madam Pomphrey can regrow it…"

Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances, the red-haired boy near panic now. He silently mouthed the words 'regrow limbs?' to his best friend. Harry nodded but decided to watch the teacher closely. If someone was going to get stuck in the hospital ward it sure wasn't going to be him!

"Now, when you approach the shrub it will try to grab you with the outer leaves. See how they're ribbed? They may not look it, but they're incredibly strong. If they do grab you, the plant will draw you close to the center and will try to hack you with the saw-like blades that grow there. Now the berries that we want grow on a stalk that sticks up from the exact center…"

"It figures…" Ron muttered.

"They're bright red…" Professor Sprout continued.

"Like blood…" Ron shivered. Herbology was quickly replacing Potions as his most hated class. At least his potions teacher didn't try to hack him into little bits. Yet.

"Now everyone pick up their harvester…" Professor Sprout picked up a long pole that had a clasping end similar to a snappy clothespin. She stepped near the Snapper-Saw and carefully used the other end of the harvester to secure a firm hold on the berry stalk rising from the plant's center. "Once you got a firm grip, you can start picking the berries using this other tool, the berry picker. Now you must be gentle so the ripe berries don't burst…"

Harry gulped but picked up the two long poles and cautiously approached one of the bushes. As soon as he stepped near, the outer ribbed leaves started to shake and writher excitedly. The thing was definitely ALIVE…

"You must pick one berry at a time…" Professor Sprout instructed as she carefully placed a berry into a nearby metal pail. "The hospital wing needs every berry on these shrubs so be careful not to waste any."

Draco sneered. Berry picking! This was more servant stuff! But he bent and picked up the two long instruments as he was determined to beat the old zombie. Besides, the entire classroom was watching. He just had to make certain to stay out of the plant's reach is all…

Emperor Palpatine had the shrub next to Draco's and he used the Force to call the long wooden tools to his gnawed hands. Then he laughed and threw the tools aside. "I don't need apparatus when I possess the Force!"

Palpatine held his hand out towards the plant and berry after berry was magically yanked off the stem to float in the air. When the last one had been plucked, they gently settled into the pail at Palpatine's feet. The Emperor gloated at the blonde Slytherin, a broad grin on his decaying face.

Draco's narrow face twisted up in fury, his gray eyes turning stormy. The zombie had beaten him already!

Then a loud shriek filled the room and every head snapped around to see what had happened. Neville had gotten too close to his shrub and had fallen in! The ribbed leaves quivered with excitement as they clutched at the wildly struggling boy and eagerly pulled him closer to the deadly center leaves. The blades in the center started to whip about, the edges seemingly razor sharp.

"Harry! Do something! He'll be cut to shreds!" Hermoine cried. She desperately tried to dig her wand out of her robe pocket but the white lab coat was in her way. She struggled to pull the coat up but it refused to cooperate and instead clung to her hips stubbornly. In desperation he tore at the buttons hoping she had enough strength to break the threads.

Harry was about to dash forward when suddenly bluish-white bolts of lightning appeared from nowhere to strike the plant! Startled and confused, he turned to look the other way and saw Palpatine was making the bolts. The lightning emerged from his fingertips and effortlessly flew across the room to hit the carnivorous shrub. The Snapper-Saw squealed in pain and it released Neville. Madam Sprout hurried over and pulled the terrified boy away from the danger.

"Oh, I do hope I was quick enough…" Palpatine remarked, worry clear in his voice. He turned the Sith Lightning off and tried his best to look humble, which he did very well. Still, this had the opposite affect on most of the students in the room. They glanced from him to the smoldering black remains of the Snapper-Saw, fear written all over their faces. They had never heard of such a spell and it surely was Dark Magic. They nervously glanced at each other and shifted their weight from one foot to another, the long tools forgotten and dropped onto the floor. Everyone backed away from the Snapper-Saws but wisely kept their eyes on Palpatine. The same thought was on all their minds; that he really was Lord Voldemort back from the grave and more powerful then ever, clearly possessing new unheard of Dark Magic. Worst, he didn't even need a wand to do it! To do such a powerful spell without a wand or saying an incantation was unheard of. It was darn right freaky!

Neville lay on the floor, his body trembling as tears leaked down his face. He had been sure he was going to die…

Professor Sprout attempted to comfort him but to no avail. The boy was too distraught to think clearly. He would have to be taken to the hospital wing and Madam Pomphrey.

"Is he OK?" Hermoine asked, concern in her voice. "The Snapper-Saw didn't get him, did it?"

"No, it didn't." Professor Sprout said with utter relief. "But he needs to go to the Hospital…"

"I'll take him there." Lucius sighed but stepped forward. This would be the second time today he would be escorting Longbottom to the hospital. His anger at Severus had disappeared when he had seen what Palpatine could do. In all the Dark Wizard books he possessed in his large library at home, never had he read about such a spell. To actually reproduce one of nature's most powerful displays was unheard of. And if he was not mistaken, a look of joy and glee had been on the man's face while he had been frying the shrub. And that was very disturbing. Perhaps Severus was correct and he was out of his league in handling the man. He gripped Longbottom by his arm and pulled the boy to his feet. With Neville clinging to his arm like before, he led him out of the greenhouse. Perhaps he should take the time to report this latest development to Dumbledore…

"Class dismissed!" Professor Sprout called.

There was a mad rush to the exit and soon the greenhouse was empty except for the Herbology teacher. Staring at the still smoking ruins, she shook her head and started to clean it up.

Draco was furious and stomped down the torch lit hallway. The zombie had beaten him twice, twice! First he had picked all the dumb berries and then he had done the heroic rescue of that twittering idiot Longbottom! The whole school would soon know about it, too! Worst, he hadn't gotten the chance to pick even a single stupid berry. He, the famous Draco Malfoy, had lost to a half-dead walking corpse! "I'll get him! I swear I'll really get him for this!"

Without thinking about it, he turned down the hallway towards Transfiguration.

"Draco!" Crabbe called and hurried to catch up with him. "Everyone is going the other way!"

Draco stopped and turned to glare at the chubby boy. "What do you mean? Our next class is with McGonagall."

"Yes, but the bell didn't ring yet! We still have twenty minutes and that old creep went outside! Everyone followed him…" Crabbe explained in a rush, one word pouring over another so fast that Draco could barely understood what he had said. "Are we going to follow him?"

"Of course we are!" Draco started back down the hall, his long robe flowing out behind him. His heels hit the floor with force and he was sure he'd ruin his expensive shoes but he didn't care. His Father would just buy him more. He was still boiling mad that the old creep had bested him. It was bad enough when the Mudblood beat him in every subject and now this! He shoved the door open and quickly stalked outside. It was unusually chilly for September and the air nipped at his exposed face. He quickly saw the knot of students standing on the green expanse on the hill near Hagrid's horrible hut and he joined them. Goyle was already there and annoyance shot through the blonde's body. Gregory was supposed to be loyal to him, not that zombie! Then it dawned on him that Goyle was staring upward. "What are you gawking at?"

"Look!" Goyle said as he pointed up at the sky.

Draco tilted his head back and soon saw something was moving up in the sky. He couldn't tell what it was, just that it was large and getting larger. At first he thought it might be some strange creature, some new horrible monster that Hagrid had kept hidden from Dumbledore but it soon became obvious that was incorrect. Sunlight reflected off the smooth surfaces as the thing came lower and lower. It was white and had an odd shape. A shark-like fin stuck straight up in the air and pair of wings jutted out to each side, a central body in the middle.

"What is it?" Someone asked.

"It looks like a Muggle airplane!" Semus cried. One of his parents was a Muggle so he was a bit familiar with Muggle things. "Still, I've never seen anything like this thing!"

The other Muggle-borns in the crowd murmured their agreement. It was clearly Muggle-made.

Everyone watched as the wings folded up to join the fin and the thing settled down to the grass. Then a mouth started to open, white smoke puffing out from the black maw. The door moved downward and soon became a ramp. More billowy white smoke issued forth into the cold air and from that smoke a black figure appeared. The students became silent as they gaped at this new person, if it was a person. Whoever it was, he was dressed all in black: a black mask and helmet, black armor and a long black flowing cape. The only color appeared to be some blinking red lights on his chest.

Darth Vader had arrived at Hogwarts.

To be continued…

I will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow! Hope you liked this one. It's already after midnight here and I need to get some sleep…

Its now 1:30 AM. I FINALLY got this chapter uploaded! The file refused to open no matter what I did. It kept saying it was an invalid file name or unknown zone. Weird. I finally ran the program called ScanDisk and that fixed it. Apparently the disk surface had gotten damaged somehow - I have no idea how. Its a floppy disk. So this entire chapter was almost lost! If this happens to you, try running ScanDisk on the Advance mode.


	6. Darth Vader!

Emperor of Slytherin 6

Lord Vader descended the metal ramp, his mechanical breathing loud in the hushed air that surrounded the shuttle. He walked perfectly straight, his long black cape flowing behind him regally. Ignoring the open mouthed stares of the students, he marched straight to the Emperor. Then he knelt down on one knee and bended his helmeted head so low it almost touched the grass.

"Arise, my old friend." Palpatine signaled with his gnarled hand that Vader should stand.

"Yes, my Master." Vader rose and stood facing his Emperor. "I have done as you requested, Master."

"Good, good!" Palpatine smiled, pleased. "Have the soldiers bring it out and deliver it to that hut over there."

Palpatine pointed towards Hagrid's house, cheery smoke rising from the chimney.

"At once, Master." Vader bowed again from the waist and headed back into the shuttle.

Whispers started to flicker between the students as they watched the event unfold.

"Who's that guy in black?"

"I think he's a Death Eater! I heard they wear masks…"

"Yeah, they do wear masks so no one knows who they are!"

"Death Eaters at Hogwarts! We'll all be killed!"

"That old guy must really be You Know Who … he has Death Eaters!"

"But there's only the one guy in black…"

"Why is he using a Muggle aircraft?"

"He's not human! He's an alien!"

"What the heck is an alien?"

"It's a creature that comes from another planet! My mother buys Muggle magazines that tell all about them! They kidnap people and do horrible medical experiments on them! Like they stick things in your body and all sorts of hideous things! There was even an account of a woman that had an alien baby!"

"That's the most stupid thing I ever heard!"

"It's true! They had photos! And I heard these aliens have pale gray skin with large heads and huge eyes! That's why they wear masks, so you don't know!"

"I didn't know You Know Who was an alien…"

"Neither did I! But there's your proof right over there!"

"Look! That black alien is coming out again!"

The kids hushed as Lord Vader appeared once more. A group of elite stormtroopers followed him, a huge crate floating behind them on an antigravity bed. More stormtroopers followed the crate. The stormtroopers wore black and white armor, masks and helmets covering their faces. To the crowd of silent children watching, this seemed to be proof that Palpatine WAS Lord Voldemort for Death Eaters wore masks and so did the stormtroopers. It also appeared to prove that what the Muggle-born boy had said was true. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were really aliens from Outer Space! Had they not arrived in an odd spacecraft?

Lord Vader pointed towards Hagrid's house and the stormtroopers started down the steep hill, their armor clanking. The weak sun reflected off the shiny armor, especially the white areas. Upon reaching the house, they set the crate down just outside and then stood around the container.

Palpatine started down the hill, Lord Vader walking at his side.

Inside the castle, Lucius had dropped Neville Longbottom off at the hospital yet again and then emerged back into the hall. He was still debating whether or not he should tell Dumbledore about the lightning Palpatine had so easily produced from his fingers immediately or if it could wait until supper. His stomach growled noisily at the thought of food. He had missed lunch and the breakfast he had eaten hours ago at home seemed long gone. Had it really only been that morning? It seemed ages ago instead of mere hours. Nor was he used to so much running about. Palpatine was definitely keeping him on his feet a lot, all-day to be exact. Sighing, he descended the stairs from the hospital and paused at the bottom. Finally deciding it was best to return to Palpatine, he started back towards Herbology unaware that Professor Sprout had released the class just after he had left with Neville. He had gotten just a few feet down the hallway when he heard someone calling him.

"Lucius! Lucius!"

He paused and turned, seeing it was Professor McGonagall once again. "There's not another riot, is there?"

"It's worse! There are Muggles outside!" She exclaimed, worry clearly etched on her face.

"Muggles? That's impossible!" Lucius snorted. "The castle is ensorcered so Muggles will just see an old ruin."

"Yes, I know! But these are not normal Muggles!" McGonagall wrung her hands together, clearly upset. "They have a strange aircraft and men in armor suits! That new student it out there with them!"

"Merlin! What did he do this time! I just took Longbottom to the hospital. Again! And Palpatine produced lightning with his fingers! Wandless and wordless lightning!" Lucius started down the hall towards the door that led outside, his black cloak trailing out behind him. "I'll go see what he's doing."

"I'll go tell Albus!" McGonagall hurried off as quickly as her old legs would carry her towards the Headmaster's office.

Lucius practically ran out the school's double doors and towards the unfamiliar Muggle aircraft. A large clump of students milled near by and he immediately spotted the platinum blonde head of his son. He hurried up to Draco and tapped him on the shoulder with his snake headed cane. "Draco, what is going on here?"

"Palpatine took a giant box down to Hagrid's house…" Draco explained as he pointed.

Pushing his way through the students, Lucius soon spotted Palpatine and another man all in black near the bottom of the hill. And like Draco had said, there was a huge crate sitting next to the pumpkin patch. But the thing that worried him the most was the presence of the eight Muggles. Like the knights of old, they wore armor and if he wasn't mistaken those things they held cradled in their arms at an angle were Muggle weapons. What did they call the odd things, buns, duns? He shook his head, unable to remember. And what in Merlin was inside that huge crate? It was clearly taller than a person, squat and square.

Sighing, he started down the hill.

Palpatine had reached Hagrid's house and knocked on the door, Lord Vader standing slightly behind him. After a few moments the door opened and Hagrid stood in the doorway. "Oh, hello there! What can I do for ye?"

"You have served me well and I promised you a reward." Palpatine gazed up at the huge man with the thick head of wild black hair and the bushy beard. "Do you remember?"

"Aaah, you don't have to do that!" Hagrid blushed, the visible skin on his face turning cherry red. "I got everything I need right here in my house."

"But you don't have this!" Palpatine assured him with a smile. He motioned for Hagrid to follow him outside and the big man did. "I noticed you love unusual creatures and so I brought you a new one…"

"A new creature?" Hagrid's mouth dropped open in surprise. He spotted the giant-sized crate and the dangerous looking stormtroopers. He paused, his dark eyes focusing on the strange men in armor. His dark eyes narrowed as he tried to ascertain exactly who they were.

"Do not be afraid." Palpatine said softly as he once again motioned with his pale hand. "These are my loyal servants and will not harm you. They have brought the creature for you."

"Servants, huh?" Hagrid cautiously stepped closer to the crate, his eyes focused on the stormtroopers. "They don't look like any house elves I've ever seen."

"They are my loyal stormtroopers and this is Lord Vader. He runs the Empire in my absence." Palpatine explained.

"Empire? So you really are an Emperor?" Hagrid made a clumsy bow to Vader. "Pleased to me ye. The name's Hagrid, I'm the Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts."

Vader nodded his helmet but remained silent. He wasn't about to have a conversation with a peasant.

"Ah, what's in the box?" Hagrid asked.

"A special animal." Palpatine smiled. "It's called an Aklay. I'm sure you'll love it."

"I never heard of an Aklay…" Hagrid admitted and rubbed his hands together with obvious relish. "The class can study it tomorrow! Oh, that'll be a great lesson indeed!"

"Well, I must go now…" Palpatine turned and started back up the hill towards the castle. "How is the Empire, Lord Vader?"

"Construction on the new Death Star continues. The shield generator is up and running as scheduled."

"And the Rebels?" Palpatine asked as he climbed the series of stone stepping stones, his dark Jedi robe dragging behind him.

"There are rumors that they are planning a massive assault, my Master."

"Predictable. We will wipe them out as planned, Lord Vader." Palpatine stopped on one of the steps to face Lucius, who waited on the step just above him. "Ah, Lucius. I'd like you to meet my second-in-command, Lord Vader. Lord Vader, this is Governor Lucius Malfoy."

Lucius took in the intimidating black breath mask, the suit of black armor, the flowing black cape. Then his eyes lingered on the shiny silver lightsaber handle that hung from Vader's belt and seemed to instantly realize it was the same thing that Miss Granger had told him about, the red sword that would cut through anything. He had never actually seen Palpatine's. Where the aged man hid it he didn't know; under his robes no doubt. Yet it was clear this man had nothing to hide. He was clearly a warrior, yet he felt the same cold energy radiating off of him. So, he was a wizard as well. A warlock. By nature, warlocks were powerful and dangerous. Dumbledore was a warlock, even if he was an old fool. But this man was no fool, he would bet his life on that. Lucius smiled at him. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Vader."

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Governor." Vader said with his low voice, his cape moving in a faint breeze. The lights blinked on his chest plate, his hands on his hips.

"Mr. Palpatine, what is going on here?" Lucius demanded to know. "And what is in that crate?"

"A gift for Professor Hagrid, of course." Palpatine smiled sweetly at the senior Malfoy. "Do not be concerned, Governor. I assure you my troops mean no harm and they will be leaving momentarily. They just came to deliver the gift I had ordered. Surely it's not against rules to give one's teacher a gift, is it?"

Lucius blinked, surprised. He hesitated in answering, still worried about what the gift was. "No, I suppose not…"

"Oh! Look at the time! I must get to my next class…" Palpatine stepped past Lucius and continued his way up the stone stepping-stones. The stormtroopers were right behind him, their helmeted heads swiveling in all directions as if expecting enemy laser fire. When he was almost at the top of the hill, Palpatine paused and turned to face Vader. "Lord Vader, go back to the command ship and await my orders."

Vader bowed his head. "Yes, my Master."

Palpatine continued up the hill and disappeared into the castle. The stormtroopers followed their Emperor up to the castle doors, and then vanished into the shuttle. After a few moments of hesitation, the students filed into the school as well, several casting last glances at the white spacecraft and at the Death Eater in black armor. Many found an unhealthy interest in the strange goings-on, even if it terrified them. It was the same terrible fascination that caused people to gawk at car accidents or other such occurrences. Still, it was time for Transfiguration and not one of them wanted to remain outside, alone with a ship of Death Eaters.

Vader started up the hill towards the waiting shuttle, his black cape billowing out behind him as a breeze gripped it.

"Lord Vader," Lucius cautiously began. "May I have a moment of your time?"

Vader paused at the top of the hill and turned to study the white haired man. "What is it that you want, Governor?"

"I wish to know why Emperor Palpatine wants to attend school here at Hogwarts. He has caused a few … disruptions." Lucius studied the tall Sith Lord, dozens of questions rolling around in his head. This whole situation was strange to say the least and Lord Vader was strange, perhaps stranger than Palpatine. He wondered why the man hid behind a mask, why his breathing was so loud and why there were Muggle-like blinking lights on his chest. Anyway, he presumed they were Muggle lights. The ship was obviously Muggle-like. Were the lights some sort of decoration? Did they mean something? Were they signs of his rank? For the first time in his life Lucius realized his ignorance and prejudice against Muggles had him at a severe disadvantage.

"The Emperor does as he wishes." Vader simply replied as he scanned the surrounding terrain. "And disruptions do not concern me."

"May I ask what does concern you?"

"Restoring order to the galaxy does." Vader returned his attention to the man before him. "As second-in-command to the Emperor it is my duty. There is much chaos that must be eliminated, law-breakers jailed."

"And I wish to restore order to my school…" Lucius remarked, hoping he wasn't stepping over some invisible boundary. If Vader was a Slytherin and he was fairly certain he was, then he may be interested in advancement or knowledge. He had no idea exactly how loyal Vader was to Palpatine and if any strife existed between the two. But all Slytherins desired to move up in rank. He idly wondered if there was anything he could offer Lord Vader in exchange for help with Palpatine, preferably help getting Palpatine out of Hogwarts. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Vader breathed loudly for several quite tense minutes and Lucius began to worry he had overstepped the line.

"The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am. You best remember that, Governor, for your sake."

The Sith Lord started to walk towards the Imperial shuttle, his black cape floating majestically behind him. He moved very quickly, his pace steady.

"Wait!" Lucius was forced to run to keep up with him. "Perhaps there's something I could help you with…"

Vader paused, hands on hips. "And what may that be?"

Lucius considered the options quickly. He was sure there must be something the Wizarding World could offer this man, if only he knew what. Once again Vader's loud raspy breathing got his attention. Could it be the man was sick? He thought of the barbaric rumors he had heard once about Muggle medicine and shivered. It even claimed that Muggles did disgusting things such as slicing a person open on purpose and digging around inside the body; totally revolting. And then there was that other rumor he had heard of them slicing limbs off on purpose instead of healing the injury, as any decent medi-witch would do! "We do have medi-witches with excellent healing skills at St. Mungo's…"

Once again the loud breathing dominated the space between the two men, then Vader turned to go up the ramp. "No one can heal my injuries, Governor."

"They can regrow bones, limbs and heal almost any injury!" Lucius blurted out, desperate to get Palpatine out of the school. "The only thing they can't heal is brain-related injuries…"

The Dark Lord of the Sith stopped once again. He stood for several long minutes with his back to the wizard.

Lucius gasped as some invisible band tightened around his throat and squeezed. He clawed at his neck desperately with both hands, his snake-headed cane dropped and forgotten in the frantic need for air.

"If you are offering me false hopes, Governor, you will pay the price."

Released from the Force-choke, Lucius collapsed to the grass. His chest heaved as he gulped down as much air into his starved lungs as he could. Merlin! This one was more dangerous than the other! What had he gotten himself into?

"You will take me to this St. Mungo's." Vader instructed him.

Lucius nodded his agreement. He just hoped that whatever the man's injuries were that the medi-witches at the hospital would be able to heal them. And if not, well, he didn't want to think about that…

To be continued…


	7. Transfiguration and Apparation

Emperor of Slytherin 7

Palpatine cackled once again as he ambled down the torch lit hallway towards Transfiguration as he thought of the Acklay from Vendaxa that waited inside the crate. No doubt the stormtroopers had a devilish of a time catching the creature as they were quite outgoing. Still, the students would have one heck of a lesson tomorrow. He reached the classroom and moved to one of the seats in the front. He seated himself carefully and stretched his legs out before him. He wasn't too sure what this class was about but he was eager to find out. The other students filed in and soon the room was filled.

An elderly woman with her gray hair piled on top of her head in a neat bun walked to the front of the room. She peered over her glasses for a moment and then cleared her voice. "Welcome to Transfiguration Three. I'm Professor McGonagall, as most of you already know. Today we'll be practicing turning a leaf into a coil of rope…"

Palpatine's hand shot up into the air.

"Yes, Mr. Palpatine?" McGonagall said as she focused her gaze on him. "Do you have a question?"

"What do you mean turn a leaf into a coil of rope?" Palpatine asked, clearly confused.

"Well, Transfiguration is the branch of magic where you turn one thing into another. It's what we learn in this classroom." She explained as she picked a bright red maple leaf off her desk and held it up so the class could see it. "Now if there are no more questions we'll continue…"

"That's impossible!" Palpatine snorted. "How can you turn a leaf into rope?"

"With magic." McGonagall replied matter-of-factly. "I assure you it's possible. Now does everyone have a leaf? Good. Get out your wands and say _Intaglio!_"

Palpatine gawked open-mouthed as the leaf turned into a long coil of rope.

Draco snickered, pleased that there was something the old zombie didn't know. But the gloated expression didn't last long as he thought of what he had seen outside. The sight of the strange vehicle coming down out of the sky had both confused and scared him. And he had heard the whispers among the other students, the one about _aliens_. What exactly was an _alien_? The blonde Slytherin scrunched up his face as he tried to understand exactly what the Muggle word meant but he just couldn't grasp it. Another word had gone along with it something called _Outer Space_. His gray eyes shifted to Granger who just happened to be sitting at the next desk over and he seriously considered actually asking her if she could explain it to him. The sight of the Muggles in the black-and-white armor had unnerved him and he was clever enough to realize that it could be dangerous taking on something he didn't fully understand. Yet the resentment of being beat in Herbology still lingered. So what was more important, getting rid of Palpatine or being seen talking to Granger?

"Granger!" Draco hissed as he leaned towards her.

Hermoine stuck her nose up in the air and pretended she didn't hear him. She waved her wand and pointed it at the green and orange maple leaf that rested upon her desk. "_Intaglio!_"

She grinned triumphantly as her leaf instantly transformed into a neat coil of rope.

"Granger!" he hissed again. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a purple jellybean and threw it at her. The candy bounced off her bushy head and clattered to the floor.

Hermoine turned her head to glare at him angrily. "Stop it!"

"What's an alien?" He asked as he leaned even closer to her, both hands clinging to his desk.

Hermoine ignored him and determinedly stared straight ahead at the blackboard. Two more jellybeans bounced off her head and she shifted in her seat to glare at him. "Stop that or you'll get us in trouble! Mind your own business!"

"I just want to know what an alien is!" Draco hissed as he focused his eyes on her. "Just tell me."

"They don't exist!" Hermoine rolled her eyes and returned her attention back to the front of the room. Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk and appeared to be looking at some piece of parchment and she was glad that their conversation had so far gone unnoticed. The last thing she wanted was to get in trouble because of the annoying git! Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

Determined to get an answer, Draco peered towards the front of the room. Satisfied that the old cat was busy, he slipped out of his seat and dashed the few steps to Hermoine. He crouched beside her desk and gripped her wrist tightly with his long slim fingers. When she turned to look at him in surprise, he glared at her. "Now tell me what an alien is!"

"What are you doing?" Hermoine cried, horrified. "She's going to see us! Go back to your seat!"

"Answer me!" Draco insisted, his voice rising. Merlin, why did the Mudblood have to be so stubborn? It was like pulling teeth from a dragon or something! Stupid Mudblood!

Unknown to Draco and Hermoine, all the eyes in the classroom was watching them. Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and moved to stand in front of Hermoine's desk. She rapped her wand on the desk's surface several times to get their attention. Both instantly turned their heads to look at her. "Mr. Malfoy! You can propose to your girlfriend later but not in my classroom! You'll both serve detention tonight!"

"Girlfriend!" Draco shrieked as he dropped Hermoine's hand and leaped away from her, horrified at McGonagall's words. "I wasn't, I mean how could you think…"

Hermoine's face grew scarlet and she wished she could just disappear. And detention! Why, she hadn't received detention since First Year! The git was ruining her clean record! She turned to glare at him as hard as she could. "This is your fault!"

"You filthy little Mudblood! If you'd just have answered the question we wouldn't have detention!" Draco shot back at her.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall cried. "There will be none of that language in my classroom! Fifty points from Slytherin!"

Draco spun on his heal and started to head back to his desk, having forgotten about the jellybeans he had thrown at Hermoine. His shoe stepped on one and it rolled. His foot slid out from underneath himself and he crashed to the floor, a loud yelp coming from his mouth.

"Mr. Malfoy! Now what are you doing?" McGonagall demanded to know, her hands on her hips. "Really! All this attention seeking! Please return to your seat and stay there!"

Groaning and rubbing the back of his head, Draco crawled back to his desk. He sat down and grumbled under his breath. He'd get that Mudblood to tell him what an alien was or it'll be the last thing he ever did! She wasn't going to push him around! He was a Pureblood and way better than she was! The longer the day went on the worst it grew and he was thankful that this was the last class of the day. He didn't think he could stand another.

And it was all Palpatine's fault! If that old zombie hadn't come to Hogwarts he'd be ruling Slytherin and having it out with Potter like the previous years. But no, the old corpse had to come from Outer Space, whatever the heck that was. Well, he'd just have to send him back. Fuming, the blonde Slytherin turned his eyes to the front of the room and was momentarily pleased to see the old guy _still_ hadn't changed his leaf to rope.

"Change! Change!" Palpatine cried angrily as he pounded on his golden maple leaf with a fist. The table shook and rattled ominously, threatening to fall apart. "I command you to change!"

Spotting the new disturbance, McGonagall hurried to the front of the room. "Mr. Palpatine! That is quite enough! You're supposed to use your wand, not your fist!"

Palpatine's red eyes stared at her defiantly, but he reached into his bag and pulled out a wand. He really didn't see how a stick was going to help him…he had never needed a stick before. He poked at the leaf with the wand's tip, the Dark Side flowing through him and into the wand. There was a red flash of light and the leaf exploded into flames. Within a moment the table Palpatine sat at also caught fire.

"AAAhhhhh!" McGonagall shrieked, horrified as her bony hands flew to her face. In all her long years of teaching there had never been a fire in her classroom. Fires in Potions or Charms, yes, but not in Transfiguration.

Palpatine pushed his chair away from the burning table and stumbled away. When he stood at a safe distance he watched the burning piece of furniture and cackled gleefully. He had never realized he _could_ produce fire with the Force until this moment. He glanced down at the slim wand in his hand and gripped it tightly. He had learned an important lesson today and one he'd never forget, either: that a wand could focus your powers and allow you to do incredible things. And he was sure once he had mastered this new ability he'd be able to reproduce it without a wand; for he was no foolish wizard who suddenly became weak and defenseless just because someone had taken his wand away or because it had broken, no. He was the Sith Master and the Dark Side obeyed his every whim.

Regaining her composure, Professor McGonagall quickly put the fire out with a spell. But the burning table had done its damage. The room was filled with the stench of smoke and several students were coughing, tears in their eyes. Many others had leaped from their seats at the first sign of fire and they now hovered fearfully near the open door. She waved her wand to open all the classroom's windows to let the fresh air in. Glancing up, she saw a dark cloud of smoke hung around the ceiling and she frowned. The table shouldn't have burned so quickly and as she examined it now she was shocked to see that very little was left. "Class dismissed! And remember to practice that spell tonight for your homework!"

Draco was one of the first ones to hurry from the room before the stench of smoke settled into his robes. Once out in the hall and a safe distance from Transfigurations, he leaned against the wall and patiently waited. He knew Hermoine would come this way and sure enough there she was. The bushy headed Gryffindor stalked along quickly, her heavy bag of books biting into one shoulder. An angry expression was pasted to her face and she ignored the calls of her two friends who struggled to keep up to her. Draco's arm snaked out and he locked his fingers around the front of her robe, turning her around and pushing her up against the cold wall. His gray eyes narrowed and he pointed his wand at her. "You're going to tell me what the heck an alien is and you're going to tell me now!"

"Let go of her Malfoy!" Harry threatened as he hurried up to the pair and shoved his wand at Draco's cheek.

"Stay out of this, Potter!" Draco snarled as he kept his eyes glued to the girl in front of him. "This is none of your concern."

"When you threaten my friends it is my concern!" Harry replied quickly and shoved his wand harder against the blonde's pale cheek.

"It's all right, Harry. I'll just tell him and then he'll go away." Hermoine realized that was the easiest solution to the entire problem. "An alien is a creature that comes from another planet. Muggles have movies and books about them but it's all made up. They can look like anything, I suppose…"

Draco stared at her, confused. "What do you mean, another planet?"

"Well, contrary to what you believe, they _are_ other planets. Surely you heard of Venus, Mars and Saturn, didn't you?"

He nodded and loosened his grip on her robe now that she was cooperating. "I'm not stupid, Granger! Of course I know about them!"

"Well, Muggle scientist have proved that there are other planets as well in different solar systems. These planets circle around a different star. Our sun is just another star, really. It only looks so big and bright because we're so close. Anyway, there could be life on those other planets and to us that life would be an alien. And supposedly if these aliens are intelligent and far advanced with technology they could build a ship that could travel between stars. And such a ship, called a spaceship, could come here." Hermoine explained as she warmed to her subject. "It's all quite preposterous, really. Aliens don't exist; you see them only in movies! You know, like that one that eats people and has acid for blood?"

Draco's narrow face paled. "They _eat_ people?"

Ron and Harry had also been listening and now they exchanged nervous glances.

"It's just a movie!" Hermoine laughed at Draco's serious expression. "It's not real!"

"Like magic wasn't real until you got your letter?" Draco asked as his gaze bore into her.

The smile vanished from her face. "Well, I guess you do have a point there…"

"Of course I do! And that old guy is _not_ from around here at all. Father would have heard about him. You saw that thing that came down from the sky. Do Muggles have things like that?"

"Well, no." Hermoine admitted. "Muggles have airplanes and helicopters. Helicopters can come straight down like that thing but then they have a big spinning blade on the top that makes it fly. That thing didn't have _anything_ and yet it failed to crash to the ground!"

"So it really could have been one of these spaceship things?"

"I suppose." Hermoine admitted as the thought began to take hold in her mind. And it came as a big shock, too. Like when she had first discovered she was a witch, it rocked the foundation of her world. To think that aliens really existed! And that they had landed here at Hogwarts! What did they want?

Draco released Hermoine's robe as a frown appeared on his face. He had just realized he had not seen his Father in Transfiguration. "Where's Father?"

Hermoine shrugged, as did Ron.

"I saw him outside before…" Harry offered.

"I _know_ he was outside, Potter! He talked to me while we were both out there! But he's supposed to be following that old creep around and he wasn't in Transfiguration. What if something happened to him?" Draco's frown increased in severity as the possibilities rolled through his head. He was pretty sure he had heard that aliens like to kidnap people for medical experiments. What if that big black one had kidnapped his father, the one that had made those loud breathing sounds? He had looked especially dangerous. Worst, what if the Mudblood was right and the aliens _ate_ people? "We have to find Father! I don't want some freaking alien to eat him!"

"Draco, I'm sure they don't eat people!" Hermoine tried to reassure him. She reached a hand out to comfort him as she would Harry or Ron but the Slytherin would have none of it. He jerked away from her grasp and stalked off towards the Great Hall.

Just as Transfiguration was starting, Lucius picked himself up off the grass outside and stared up at Vader's black mask. Lucius was tall and there were not very many people taller than him but Lord Vader was one of the few. Of course, Lucius had no idea that years ago Vader had had his real legs burned off by lava and the ones he saw before him were built of steel instead of flesh. If he had been privy to such information it would have astonished him to no end but he didn't know. In fact, most of Vader's body was a machine, his limbs made from metal, circuits and wires. The Dark Lord of the Sith had more in common with Muggle cars or computers than he did with his fellow men. And this would have really shocked the Pureblood wizard; as such an idea was totally foreign to him.

"You will take me to this St. Mungo's." Vader repeated in his mechanical voice.

"Yes," Lucius nodded his agreement and stood proudly before the man. "Can you apparate?"

"I have never heard of this word, apparate." Lord Vader informed him. "You will explain it to me."

"It's when a wizard magically pops from one place to another." Lucius tried to explain and he pointed at Hagrid's hut. "For example, you could be in that house and suddenly appear here without walking the distance. I would show you except we can't apparate on Hogwarts property. It's a safety precaution."

"Ah," Vader breathed loudly. "Instant matter transportation. We have never been able to successfully develop such a process. You will tell no one else of this."

Lucius agreed. "As you wish."

"If we were off the property you would be able to teach me how to apparate?" Vader asked.

"Well," Lucius paused, unsure of what to say. His grip on his cane tightened as he uneasily stood before the Sith Lord. "It takes time to learn how to do it properly and it can be dangerous. The Ministry of Magic usually tests young adults before they're allowed to apparate."

"I assure you I'm a fast learner."

"Perhaps we should use a portkey instead…" Lucius suggested nervously.

"You will instruct me how to apparate." Vader commanded as he pointed with a black-gloved hand at the ramp leading up into the shuttle, his desire clear. "My shuttle will take us off Hogwarts property."

"Surely you're not serious!" Lucius exclaimed as he backed away from the shuttle, a strained expression on his face. Did this Lord Vader actually expect him to go into a Muggle vehicle? The idea was preposterous! He was a Pureblood and detested Muggle things. But then he remembered how Vader had effortlessly choked him without using a wand, words or his hands. But how did he know the thing was safe? He had heard horror stories of how flying Muggle things fell out of the sky in fiery explosions and a chill went down his back. A lump formed in his throat when he saw Vader stood there unmoving, his hand still pointing at the ramp. And even more unnerving was the idea that somehow this mysterious man knew exactly what he was thinking and what he was feeling; without using a curse. Forcing the lump down, he walked forward and stepped onto the metal ramp. Head held high and secure in the knowledge that his wand was hidden inside his cane he boarded the shuttle.

The inside he discovered was darker and held many seats. Strange lights seemed to blink or glow steadily everywhere while a humming filled the air. The metal deck beneath his shoes thrummed and the vibrations traveled up his legs into his body. His nose raised, he sniffed the air cautiously. A strong chemical smell filled the air; the results of both cleaning fluids and the white smoke that had hissed out of the shuttle upon landing. He spotted the strangely dressed Muggles almost immediately and one of them pointed him to a seat. Lord Vader soon joined him and then the door closed. An odd sensation filled his stomach and he correctly guessed the vehicle had taken off, as it was similar to what one felt on a broom. Before he could really start to worry about being in the Muggle contraption, the door reopened and Vader led him outside. And just as the Sith Lord had promised they were now off Hogwarts property, the entire trip taking just a few minutes.

Lucius turned to face Vader. "How do you plan on learning to apparate so quickly? It normally takes lots of practice."

"I will take the process from your mind."

A shocked expression appeared on Lucius' face but he quickly hid it behind his usual mask of indifference. "You can do that?"

"I've done it in the past with my old Master. It is how I learned to Force-jump and do many other things." Vader reassured him. "Can you apparate somewhere and then return so I may study the process?"

"Of course." Lucius thought of Hogsmeade and disappeared. When he appeared in the town near Hogwarts he seriously considered not going back to the man in the black armor but quickly dismissed it. Vader was like Voldemort and only a fool disobeyed a command from either. He had no desire to be killed so he sighed loudly and returned to the Sith Lord. He stood there proudly with his chin raised. "Well? Did you study it?"

"Yes. Let us go to St. Mungo's." Vader reached out and easily took the image of the hospital from the wizard's mind.

With a loud pop, they both vanished.

To be continued…

AN: I took a few liberties in this chapter: I'm not sure what the white smoke from the Imperial shuttles are or if it has a smell, I based the fact of Vader learning to apparate so quickly on the SW novel "Rogue Planet" where he did learn to Force-jump from Obi-Wan's mind… hope that is OK. Until next time… OH, I made the leaf/rope spell up!


	8. The Acklay!

Emperor of Slytherin 8

AN: Thanks for all the great reviews! Someone mentioned a concern that if Vader gets healed of his injuries he may turn into a 'softie' (AKA Jedi) – well, that's not my intentions. No one likes to live with pain. I don't want to give away story plots here but rest assured he will remain a Sith. And maybe he's a bit of a Slytherin, too, with his own plans. I think we all know Vader was hatching plans during ESB… Hope I didn't say too much. Oh, I'm not very clear on exactly what healing potions and things can actually do, so I'll be improvising here. I know potions can grow bones (COS) and can apparently replace limbs so please don't say _potions can't do that,_ OK? Anyway, there will be a few surprises in upcoming chapters!

Lord Vader and Lucius Malfoy appeared in St. Mungo's hospital, Vader having taken the image out of the other man's mind. Once Vader had seen how it was done it was a simple matter to twist the Force in the way he needed and he simply was where he wished to be. Truth be told, it was incredible and the Sith Lord pondered why the Jedi had never discovered this trick. It would be very useful indeed. And even more useful since Palpatine didn't know this talent existed. Yes, the ability to apparate and disapparate at will, that could very well determine who would rule the galaxy. Although Darth Vader was loyal to Palpatine, he felt the older man was making mistakes and getting off track with things. In the beginning the Emperor's purposes had been noble and good: he had built schools, locked up criminals and brought law and order to the galaxy in a time of chaos. But one did not need super-weapons for that. And surely a massive Death Star was not required to stop the pitiful band of Rebels? It was a waste of men, materials and credits…

Unless there were things Palpatine was not telling him….

Shaking the thoughts off, Vader turned his helmeted head this way and that as he scanned his new surroundings. They had appeared in a waiting room of a hospital. There was a central check-in desk with a long line in front of it. A blonde healer sat behind the desk and directed the injured people to the correct floor. The appearance of some of the people in line might have shocked a Muggle but Vader was no Muggle. He had seen thousands of alien species and had visited hundreds of worlds. And compared to that, this was pretty tame and even boring, even if one person did have a bird growing from the top of their head. The others in line turned at the sound of his loud breathing and startled expressions appeared. The blinking Muggle-like lights on his chest panel and his black mask no doubt causing fear and suspicion. But the sight of one of the most respected Purebloods eased their fears and they soon went back to waiting their turn. Vader joined the end of the line and patiently waited, Lucius standing next to him. Within moments he stood before the blonde healer.

She glanced up at him, surprise in her eyes. "Yes? What's the problem?"

"I have been informed you may be able to heal my injuries." Vader stated.

"And what caused the injuries?" The blonde healer asked.

"Lava and poisonous fumes…" Vader replied.

"You want Artifact Accidents on the Ground Floor. They should be able to handle that, I think. They take care of all the physical problems like broom crashes and caldron explosions. It's all there on the sign." The healer explained as she pointed to the large sign next to her desk. "Next!"

Lucius lead him to the room marked Artifact Accidents. The Pureblood glanced at the Sith Lord, curious. He, of course, knew what lava was and didn't see how anyone could survive it, unless it had been a very small amount? Except for the mask and the loud breathing the man appeared all right, but who really knew? Perhaps it was serious and the Muggle … what was the word … technology allowed him to walk around. He remembered the invisible grip that had tightened around his throat and hoped the medi-witches _could_ heal the Sith Lord. Because if they couldn't it bode ill for him and he doubted if he could be paid off in gold. And he still needed to get Palpatine out of Hogwarts… "Your injuries are caused by lava?"

"Yes." Vader replied. "It was a miracle that I survived. Most of my legs were burned off, bone and all…"

The Pureblood's mouth dropped open in shock. He motioned to the Sith Lord's legs with his snake-headed cane. "But I see your legs…"

"These are droid constructs, artificial limbs." Vader explained as they walked into the desired room. "My arms are artificial as well. And I have cybernetic parts replacing my lungs and heart. There is very little of the real me left. But if I can once again have _real_ parts I would be again at full power. Up until now I have thought that impossible…"

Lucius tried to understand what Vader was saying. "Artificial limbs? I'm not sure I understand…"

Darth Vader removed one of his black leather gloves and opened a small square door on his wrist. Holding it out so the wizard could see, he pointed out the tangle of wires, circuits and other various parts that lurked within. And the hand itself, it was like a gold-colored skeleton shaped to look like a hand! It was without doubt the most horrifying Muggle thing the Pureblood had seen. They had actually put their metal bits and wires on a person instead of growing new limbs! By Merlin, how were the medi-witches to fix something like that? And most of his body! Alarmed, Lucius leaned against the nearby wall as he realized that the Sith Lord might kill him yet…

A medi-witch entered the exam room and she started to talk to talk. "I'm Mandy Cloudkicker and I'll be your medi-witch today. So what's the problem?"

Vader showed her the circuits in his artificial wrist. "I have been burned by lava. Most of my original arms and legs were burned off and replaced by these fake Muggle ones. I also have damage to my heart and lungs, mostly my lungs. I cannot breath without this special mask…"

"Well," Mandy said as she jotted it all down on her note-taking scroll. "We can try some potions on you. We have potions that can regrow limbs and I'm pretty sure we can clear up those lung problems as well. Re-growing limbs is a painful business I'm afraid and you'll have to stay here overnight at least. I'll go get the potions…"

Vader watched her leave to go get the required potions. He rested on the exam bed and waited for her to return, his attention shifting to the blonde man. If the potions actually worked he would owe him a reward of some sort but that could be dealt with later. "You wish Palpatine to leave Hogwarts?"

"He is disrupting classes and many students have mistaken him for another Dark Wizard." Lucius explained once again and hoping he wouldn't have to tell the whole Voldemort story. With his Master supposedly dead from the backfired curse the last thing he wanted was to go spouting the man's name. And unlike Potter, he wasn't foolish…

But across London there _was_ a foolish woman, a well-known one with a nose for news. She had instinctively known there had been something up at Hogwarts so she had gone there to investigate. Hidden from prying eyes in her animagus form she had perched on the cold stone block wall and had heard _everything_. It would be the story of the century and she had it! Her quill scratched across the paper by itself as she wrote out the article that would appear on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_. The Wizarding community would be shocked and rattled so much that it might tumble off its foundation. But that wasn't her concern. No, her job was to report news as she saw it and this definitely was news. A smile crossed her face as she dreamed how famous she would soon be.

Back at Hogwarts, Palpatine made his way across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table. It was suppertime and he intended to eat his fill. He sat down at the table and started to pile food onto his plate, the other Slytherins staying as far away as they could. Many cast him fearful glances and this pleased Palpatine to no end. The giant room was soon filled with the loud sounds of eating and nothing exciting happened.

Further down the Slytherin table, Draco complained to his two plump bodyguards. "It's not fair I tell you. Why should I have detention for?"

Crabbe and Goyle shrugged as they continued to pack themselves with food. They could have pointed out because the blonde had been out of his seat but then they didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his angry glares. Besides, the plate packed with assorted cupcakes and sweet rolls was much more interesting … and safer.

"Well?" Draco repeated, a scowl on his narrow face as he glared at the two boys. "It's not fair I tell you! That old zombie sets fire to the classroom but I get detention just for talking to Granger!"

"McGonagall doesn't like Slytherins…" Crabbe said uneasily, chocolate frosting smeared on his plump lips. "You know that."

"Yes, I know that!" Draco replied hotly as he picked up a green apple from the big bowl of fresh fruit on the table. His frown deepened as he eyed the other two boys chocolate smeared hands and faces. Sometimes they could be so disgusting! "But that old creep is in Slytherin, too!"

"Were … were you really …" Goyle stuttered and then gave up.

"No, I was NOT proposing to the Mudblood! What do you think I am, some idiot? You know I can't stand her and now I have to serve detention with her!" He polished the apple a few times on his robe and then bit a chunk off, chewing. His gray eyes shifted to the teacher's table and he couldn't help but notice his father was still missing. Worry began to gnaw at his gut. It was an unpleasant feeling and he didn't care for it at all. Mostly life was good for the young blonde Slytherin. Sure, maybe his old man expected a lot from him and maybe slapped him a bit with the cane, but it wasn't anything really bad. Lucius never really beat him like some of the other Death Eaters did to their kids, just slapped his fingers with the cane. And as long as his grades stayed high things went smoothly. His mother sent him home-baked goodies and his father bought him expensive gifts. He had the best clothes and almost everyone in school fawned over him…

But the seat at the teacher's table was still empty and supper was almost over. The nasty turbulent feeling in his gut increased and the room felt too hot. What if the big black alien really had kidnapped his father? The last time he had felt this bad was when he had served detention First Year and that oaf had taken them out into the Forest. An uncustomary shiver passed through him as he remembered his fear at seeing the thing that had been feeding on the dead unicorn. He hadn't waited to see what it was; he had just run for his life leaving Potter to face it alone. Potter had been a fool to stay there with the thing and it was a miracle he had survived. Stupid Gryffindors and their dumb noble ideas! What good would it do to stay and die over a dead unicorn? His sacrifice wouldn't bring the magical equine back to life. Nothing could. Dead was dead, unless you were You Know Who. At that thought another icy chill traveled down Draco's spine and he wished he hadn't thought about Him. No, that was just too freaky. Why did his father have to get involved with a madman for, especially one that could come crawling out of the grave? In some ways that was far worse than the zombie…

Taking several more apples, Draco stuck them into the pockets of his robe for a snack later. Sighing, he stood up from the table and picked up his fine leather bag of schoolbooks. Focusing his eyes on Crabbe and Goyle, he gave them their orders. "Keep an eye on him. I have to go serve detention with that old cat."

The two other boys nodded dutifully but stayed at the table. Students were filing out the doors and heading back to their common rooms or to the library for study. Although it was just the first day many teachers had given homework already and Draco ran his own list through his mind. There were no big projects yet as there would be later in the year and he felt confidently he'd be able to finish the work quickly and neatly. Still, his step was not as snappy as it usually was as he stormed back to McGonagall's classroom. The smoke smell had cleared out and the room smelled fresh from the cool air blowing in through the open windows. He was pleased to see that he had beaten Granger, proving once again that Purebloods were superior to Mudbloods. Taking a seat in the back, he stretched his long legs out in front.

A few moments later Professor McGonagall hurried in with Hermoine right behind her. The bushy-haired girl took a seat far away from the blonde Slytherin and didn't even look his way, her eyes to the front. The Professor didn't waste any time but headed right to the front of the room and then turned to peer at the two students over her glasses. "You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight."

"Not him!" Draco complained as the frightening night in the forest flashed before his eyes. "Last time he almost got us killed!"

"Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall cried sternly. "You will serve detention with whom ever I say you will. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor." Draco said as he glumly stood and hoisted his bag of books onto his shoulder. He gazed at her for a moment, a question on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to ask her where his father was but she was a Gryffindor. Perhaps he could ask Snape later…

"Now unless you two have further questions I suggest you hurry down to see Hagrid. He'll be waiting for you." McGonagall seated herself behind her desk and turned her attention to a scroll, a clear signal that the audience with her was over.

Draco headed out the door without waiting to see if Hermoine was coming or not. He just wanted to get there and get it over with so he could continue his plotting on how to rid the school of Palpatine, not to mention find out what had happened to his father. His stride down the hallway was fast and he could hear Granger hurrying to catch up with him, her footsteps loud in the empty hallway. They reached the doors together and he shoved one of them open. It had grown dimmer outside although full night hadn't set yet. The two teens made their way down the row of stone steps towards Hagrid's hut, the air chill with the distinct bite of autumn. Cheery light could be seen in Hagrid's windows and a column of gray smoke rose from the chimney, the smoke just visible against the darkening sky. He glared at his unwelcome companion. "I bet you're glad, aren't you, Granger? We'll be lucky if that great oaf doesn't get us killed!"

"Hagrid is my friend!" Hermoine shot back at him angrily, her eyes flashing. "If you'd only take the time to know him you'd know that he's a good man! You shouldn't judge people by their looks or blood or any other foolish nonsense!"

"That's what ugly people say to make themselves feel better, Granger." Draco remarked in his customary drawl. "And I don't care about your Gryffindor platitudes. You best wake up and get that foolishness out of your head. The real world doesn't work with your 'all for one and one for all' bunk; it's everyone for him or herself. And that oaf is incompetent. He's not qualified to teach class. He doesn't know the first thing about teaching. You just wait and see."

"And what good is beauty when a person is rotten inside?" Hermoine demanded to know as she reached Hagrid's hut and stopped just outside the door to glare at the blonde. "A person could do so much good in the world if they wouldn't only focus on pleasing themselves!"

Draco smiled, his mouth perfect white teeth. "Why Granger, are you trying to say I'm beautiful? I didn't know you cared…"

"Why you…!" Hermoine's hand tightened into a fist and she contemplating slapping him one, but the wooden door opening saved her.

Hagrid stepped outside. "Ye can put your books inside until we're done. Sorry to hear ye got detention. You all right there, Hermoine?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Hermoine quickly put her book bag into Hagrid's hut and Draco did the same, a look of disgust on his face as his eyes darted around the man's house. Trying her best to ignore her classmate, Hermoine walked over to the half-giant. "So what are we going to be doing?"

"Please say we're not going to go into the Forest again…" Draco pleaded, a look of nervousness on his face.

"No, ye don't have to worry about that." Hagrid replied as he walked over to the big crate that the Imperial Stormtroopers had delivered earlier in the day. "I figured we'd open this here crate and get the poor beastie out."

Draco's eyebrow rose. "We're going to open _that_?"

"Yep." Hagrid scratched at his tangled beard as he studied the odd blinking lights on the front of the crate.

"Hagrid, do you know what's in there?" Hermoine asked as she gazed at the big box. Loud sounds came from within and she eyed it warily. It sounded as if the thing inside was big and was attempting to get out. A particularly loud crash into the crate's side made her leap with fear, her heart thudding quickly within her chest.

"Yep. A beastie called an Acklay." Hagrid replied as he continued to stare at the blinking buttons, a blank expression on his face. "Now I wonder how you open this thing…?"

"And what exactly is an Acklay?" Draco demanded to know. "Is that another horrid monster from that biting textbook you assigned us?"

"We won't know what an Acklay is until we let it out. Poor beastie can't stay in this box all night. It needs air and water and food…" Hagrid's finger hovered over the blinking control panel as he attempted to guess which one he should press. There was a green button, a red button and a white button…

"What!" Draco cried fearfully as he started to back away from the large crate. "You can't let some unknown animal out! What if it wants to eat _us_?"

"Hagrid! Draco is right! You can't let some unknown creature out!" Hermoine warned him.

But it was too late. Hagrid's thick finger stabbed the green button and there was a loud click. White smoke puffed out of the opening crate, the door gliding open smoothly on silent hinges. A loud scuttling sound issued from within and Hagrid backed up slightly to give the door room to rest on the grass. Soon movement became visible and the Acklay appeared at the mouth of the crate. The beast was forest green and moved quickly on six long legs. It had small eyes and a gaping mouth full of razor sharp teeth, the teeth long and straight like needles. A protective frill covered its neck and a long waggling piece of flesh hung down from under its chin. Each of the six legs were covered in a hard exoskeleton and ended in a deadly tip that was used for stabbing its prey; the sharp point easily passing through even the hardest shell as it was solid bone. A fine fringe of hair grew on the upper part of each leg and helped the creature find its food better. As prey moved about the air currents would cause the sensitive hairs to move and thus alert the Acklay to the exact whereabouts of possible food. All in all, the Aklay very much resembled a giant crab with a long neck and no claws. But with six deadly stabbing tools at its disposal it didn't need claws or pinchers. The green beast threw its head back and screamed in anger, then scrambled forward crab fashion.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Draco shrieked in terror as his mind went totally blank. Forgetting about the possible safety of Hagrid's hut, Draco turned and fled up the steep hill towards the castle.

"Hagrid! Look out!" Hermoine whipped her wand out and screamed a spell. "_Expelliarmus!_"

The spell hit the Acklay with a swirl of bright light but the creature was so large it barely quivered from the assault. In fact, it was becoming increasingly clear that the monster towered over even Hagrid! The half-giant stumbled back in surprise and looked up at the looming creature. The thing lifted up a long leg and quickly stabbed at the ground. Luckily, Hagrid had enough sense to jump out of the way as the beast missed. Bits of soil and grass was flung up into the air from its hard tip digging deep into the soft earth, but this didn't faze the creature at all.

"Run!" Hagrid told the kids as he hurried to his hut to get his big crossbow.

Seeing that Hagrid hopefully would be all right, Hermoine charged up the steep hill after the blonde Slytherin. Draco hadn't got as far up the hill in the short time as he would have liked. It had grown darker and it was increasingly hard to see the stepping stones and the blind panic that gripped him often made him stumble on the uneven footing. He had heard Hermoine shout her lame spell attempt and had seen the flicker of light from behind, then had heard the giant oaf shouting for them to run. What had Granger been thinking? The thing was _huge_ and nothing short of the Death Curse was going to stop it! Still, he was slightly grateful that she had given him a few extra seconds to escape because it was all too clear what the thing ate. His foot misjudged the step again due to the darkness and he slipped. Something gripped his right arm tightly and he almost shrieked in fright before he realized it was just Granger.

The Acklay saw its prey splitting up and as luck would have it, it decided to go after the two teens. Its long legs made short work of the distance separating them as it charged up the hill, the sharp tips digging into the soil for firm purchase on the steep slope. On its distant homeworld of Vendaxa, the Acklay was used to hunting prey on the open plains so the grassy area, although steep, was no problem. All too soon it caught up and hovered right above them. It stabbed at them with a bony forefoot.

Sensing the vicious creature right behind them, Hermoine shoved Draco out of the way. The sharp foot landed between the two teens, just barely missing Hermoine's black school robe. The horn-like tip of sharp bone shattered the piece of stepping stone and went deep into the earth beneath it. Opening its mouth wide to reveal rows of needle-like teeth, the Acklay screamed in anger.

Loosing his balance from Hermoine's shove, Draco fell and tumbled back down the hill. Hermoine quickly darted under the creature's body and raced back down the hill after him. Upon reaching him, she roughly hauled him to his feet. She spotted that Hagrid just emerged from his house with his crossbow and knew they needed to get out of his way so he could get a clean shot. But where could they go? The monster was big and powerful, so big she had fitted under its body easily. And although Hagrid's house was made of good solid fieldstone, she doubted if the wooden doors would stand up to the creature's strength. It had smashed the stepping-stone so easily… Turning her head quickly with her hair flying, she spotted the creature coming at them. Pulling on Draco's arm, she led him forward. "Into the trees!"

For once the blonde Slytherin didn't argue but dashed towards the Dark Forest as quickly as he could.

Hagrid let an arrow fly but it just bounced off the Ackley's thick exoskeleton harmlessly. The big man quickly knocked another arrow and let that one fly, too, but it also bounced off. Realizing he was in serious trouble, Hagrid hurried back to his hut and slammed the door. He had seen the teens disappear into the trees and hoped they would be safe. It was possible they could hide among the trees, but there were far worst things than an Acklay out there… He just set the thick board in place over his door when the entire door shook and a sharp bony tip smashed right through the door. Jumping back in shock, he called to Fang and ran to the back door. He had to get to the castle and tell someone about the vicious beastie. Hopefully a hunting party of powerful wizards could be arranged and they could hunt the dangerous thing down with spells, as his crossbow was useless. He heard the front door smash inward just as he went out the back, Fang as silent as possible. The loud crashing of furniture and crockery echoed out into the night as the Acklay shrieked in anger when it discovered its prey was gone.

To be continued…

AN: Hope that was good! For people who have seen Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, the Acklay was one of the arena beasts on Geonosis. It looked similar to a crab and went after Oni-Wan.


	9. Meetings and Disaster

Emperor of Slytherin 9

"Well, this is a fine mess you got us in!" Draco accused as he ran between the trees of the Dark Forest, Hermoine at his side. The blonde's heart beat rapidly in his chest and he could feel sweat running down the center of his back. Normally he'd never enter the Forest of his own free will but it was either that or get killed by the mutant crab that stupid oaf had released from the giant crate. Tripping over an unseen root poking up from the damp soil, Draco stumbled and almost fell to the cold ground. Catching himself on a nearby tree trunk, he swore softly. The rough bark had scraped the skin off his palms and he could feel them burning even in the dark.

"Me? This isn't my fault!" Hermoine replied as she frantically glanced behind them. Like Draco's, her heart pounded within her chest. Without a doubt, this had been the scariest moment in her entire life. She scanned the dark towering silhouettes behind them for any sign of the beast; sure it would be there. But when she didn't see it, she breathed slightly easier. Keeping her eyes glued to the path they had just run, she backed up step by step until she stood next to the Slytherin. "How dare you say this is my fault! How is this my fault?"

"Because it is!" Draco replied matter-of-factly. His thin chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath from the fast sprint he had just been forced to do. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins and he stared wide-eyed at the dark forest around them. "I was running up the hill and would have gotten away! But no, you had to push me down and get my robes all soaked! In case you forgot, it had been raining earlier! Now I'll freeze to death out here or get eaten by werewolves!"

"I bloody saved your life, you ungrateful git!" Hermoine retorted hot-tempered, her brown eyes glaring at him. "That thing was going to spear you! If I hadn't pushed you out of the way, you'd be a shish kabob right now!"

"A shish-what? Granger, would you stop blabbing Muggle stuff?" Tired, he leaned back against the tree's thick trunk and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. He was in the Dark Forest, again! And after he had sworn that he'd never ever come in here again. No, that one time First Year was enough. Worst, now he was stuck here with that drat Mudblood! She could talk the ears off any sane person and the way she bossed those two prats around… "I don't care about Muggles, you know that. And that's why people like you will never fit completely into the Wizarding World, even if you read and memorize every book on magic in existence. There's just some things one learns growing up in a magic family…"

Hermoine's eyes narrowed as she stared at him, furious. And to think he had been asking for her help earlier in the day! Well, she'd show him! Reaching out towards him, she laid her hand on his shoulder.

"AAHHHH!" Draco's eyes flew open and he leaped up in the air from sheer fright, positive some horrendous creature had tried to get him. Then his gray eyes landed on Hermoine and his pointed face twisted up in anger. Reaching up, he shoved Hermoine's hand off his shoulder roughly. "What the heck are you trying to do, scare me to death? I thought it was that thing!"

"Admit it, Malfoy! You're scared to be out here!" Hermoine pointed out to him, slightly pleased with herself. The rich Slytherin had been bugging her almost non-stop since First Year and she had never really gotten an opportunity to get back at him. Just last year he had called her that awful name, Mudblood. It had really hurt and she had felt like crying. But now she had the upper hand. "You're scared of the dark!"

"I'm not a baby, Granger! And I'm _not_ scared of the dark! It's just that I have a responsibility to carry on the family name. As the sole heir to the Malfoy fortune, I can't afford to get killed by some freakish monster your dumb friend let loose!" Draco stalked away from the tree he had been leaning on, taking several steps in a random direction. Pausing, he turned to look at her. "Well, what are we supposed to do? Or do you want to stand here and argue all night?"

"Draco …" Hermoine paused, uncertain. She felt bad now about scaring him like that. Normally she'd _never_ do such a cruel thing like that. It had been wrong, a spur of the moment thing. And just because _he_ did low things, that didn't mean it was OK for her to sink to his level. No, she was a _Gryffindor_! Professor McGonagall would be ashamed to hear how she had frightened him on purpose after they had literally run for their lives, even if it had given her a slight moment of satisfaction.

His gray eyes widened at her sudden use of his first name. "What?"

"I'm sorry I scared you. I shouldn't have done that…" Hermoine admitted as she stared down at the damp earth under her shoes. It felt really odd apologizing to her enemy, if that's what Draco really was. "If it makes you feel better, I was scared, too."

"But you're a Gryffindor…" Draco said, a puzzled look on his pale face. "I thought you and Potter thrived on this sort of stuff, that famous Gryffindor bravery and all…"

"Harry only does what he _has_ to do. He doesn't have a choice. And I help him because it's the right thing to do, even if it's scary and dangerous. We do it to save innocent lives, not for fame like lots of the other students think. Harry couldn't care less about being in the spotlight. He _hates_ it." Hermoine scanned the woods around them, alert and listening for the slightest sound. She closed the distance between the two of them and contemplating comforting him. If it had been Harry or Ron, she would have done it automatically. She'd lean against their body, resting her head on their shoulder or chest while their arms would have wrapped around her. But this was Malfoy and she really didn't know him that well at all. Perhaps Slytherins didn't like to comfort each other? Did they see it as a sign of weakness or did they all just come from families that never hugged or showed signs of warmth?

"So you go and do that stuff even though you're scared?" he asked, a bit surprised. He had always presumed that Gryffindors were just incredibly stupid or that they were fearless. To discover that Potter was most likely quivering in his scuffed-up Muggle shoes while he had been down in the Chamber last year was a revelation. In fact, it made him feel just slightly better. Draco wrapped his arms around his wet clothes and shivered.

"Oh! Let me dry those for you…" Hermoine whipped out her wand and uttered the drying charm before he could protest. A smile appeared on her lips. "You feel better now, don't you?"

Draco stared at her in surprise, but nodded his head. He _did_ feel better and it was due to the Gryffindor. It occurred to him that she could have just as easily hexed him instead of drying his clothes, but she hadn't. Nervously he glanced around at the surrounding trees. It was dark and creepy, but at least the trees were close together. He didn't think that thing could fit in here, but who knows? Maybe it could. It had been awful strong. He thought of heading back to the castle and the safety that represented, but to do that he'd have to cross a large expanse of open ground. That mutant crab, if that's really what the thing was, could be anywhere by now. It could jump on him on the way to Hogwarts and then he'd be done for… "Look, I know this wasn't really your fault. It's that old zombie that brought that thing here…"

Hermoine's faint smile brightened. It was as close to an apology as she'd ever get from him.

"So, what do you think we should do now?" Draco asked her, uncertain himself. He felt torn between staying here and running for the castle. Neither truly was safe.

"Well, I think we should go check on Hagrid, see if he's all right." Hermoine suggested as worry for her big friend chewed at her mind. The big man was one of the kindest people she knew and she couldn't stand the thought of him dying. And if something ever happened to him, it would kill Harry. She just knew it would. Her poor friend would be devastated and there wouldn't be anything they could do. She could just imagine Harry sinking into a bout of depression…

"But that thing is back there!" Draco protested, fear clear in his eyes.

"And you'd rather face the giant spiders?" she asked innocently.

"G-g-iiant sspiiders?" Draco stuttered as he slowly started turning in a circle, his eyes fearfully scanning the ground around them. Then his gaze shifted upward to the trunks of the towering trees. Spiders could cling to almost any surface. They could be _anywhere_. "W-what giant spiders?"

"The ones Harry and Ron discovered in the Forest last year. They found this huge nest of them…"

The Slytherin inched closer to Hermoine, so close that their shoulders were practically touching. "N-nest?"

"Yes, this huge nest in a hollow. Harry said there must have been at least a thousand of them." Hermoine replied, sure now that Draco would agree to head back to the castle to check on Hagrid. It was a bit manipulative, perhaps, but she couldn't have them stay in the Forest all night. No, it was just too dangerous. Worst, what if they were to actually run across the eight-legged monsters? She knew her two friends had only escaped because they had the Weasley family car. She and Draco wouldn't be that lucky.

His mind made up, Draco gripped her by the wrist and started pulling her through the trees. "What are you waiting for, Granger? Let's get out of here!"

Back at the castle, more trouble was brewing. But then, that almost seemed to be the normal state of affairs at Hogwarts. Several of the Professors had gathered up in Dumbledore's office for a staff meeting. The subject of said meeting was the new student, Palpatine. News of the Aklay had not yet reached their ears nor that two of the students had entered the Forest. If they did, the meeting would have been much noisier. As it was, Professor Snape was making enough noise.

"You should expel him immediately!" Professor Snape suggested strongly, one fist striking the smooth surface of Dumbledore's desk. His greasy black hair swung forward and his eyes were like black coals. "He brought Muggles here, _Muggles_! That risks the exposure of our world and you know it!"

"Ah, but you forget one thing, Severus. Those Muggles are not from _our_ world." Albus Dumbledore pointed out calmly as he reached for a small tin on his desktop. Gripping it, he pulled the top off and removed a round red-and-white striped disk. After peeling off the wrapper and popping the candy into his mouth, he held the container out towards Snape. "Starlight Mint, Professor?"

"Candy won't solve this problem and you know it!" Severus Snape bellowed, annoyed that the Headmaster would offer sweets at a moment like this.

"And what of the wandless magic?" Minerva McGonagall said in a worried voice, her wrinkled hands held together before her. "Lucius told me he has witnessed Palpatine create lightning from his bare hands! Surely that is nothing to sneeze at, Albus! No wand, no incantation, just his force of will!"

"He's dangerous." Snape agreed as he leaned further over the Headmaster's desk. "Far more dangerous than You Know Who ever was. I want to know what you're going to do about it!"

"From what I hear, Palpatine has saved Mr. Longbottom's life." Dumbledore replied as he sucked on his candy. Leaning back in his chair and sighed. "I cannot do anything until he has breeched a serious rule or has committed a crime. And even in those cases there are valid reasons as you very well know, Severus."

The Potions Professor stood up straight and frowned. "You give Potter and his friends too much leeway when it comes to breaking rules."

"And as for Palpatine, I have already done something about that as you very well know." Dumbledore reminded him.

"You put Lucius in charge and he has run off!" Severus complained. "The last time anyone has seen him was just after Herbology. I have papers to grade, lessons to plan! I cannot spend my time down in the dormitory watching Palpatine! That is Lucius' job!"

"And I'm sure he will be back, Severus. Perhaps he is taking care of something at the moment." Suggested Dumbledore as he leaned forward, a twinkle in his eye. "Are you sure you don't want a candy? I have some wonderful butterscotch disks in my desk drawer.."

"He is a coward!" Severus accused bitterly. "At lunch he was blithering some nonsense about his looks. He has no doubt run off to a Muggle spa to get a facial."

"Now, now, now Severus!" Dumbledore wagged a finger at Snape. "That is no way to speak of your friend."

"Friends do not abandon you." Snape simply replied.

"Now when this is all over, we will _all_ go visit a Muggle spa if it will cheer you up, Severus." The Headmaster smiled.

"I don't want to go to some stupid spa!" Snape bellowed, furious at the mere suggestion.

"But Albus," Professor McGonagall butted in before Snape could start a new argument. "What of the Muggle's flying ship? Even if they are not from this world, other Muggles might have seen it! And they unloaded that crate. Oh, I'm worried what might be inside it! What if it's something that's dangerous to the students?"

Just at that exact moment, the door to Dumbledore's office flew open with a loud bang. Both Snape and McGonagall immediately turned to see who it was. They both gasped as they saw Hagrid. Dirt was smeared on the half-giants face and stone dust was in his thick hair and beard. His dog, Fang, was tucked under one arm and it seemed that he had forgotten that he was even carrying the pooch. His other hand held his giant crossbow. It was obvious he must have ran all the way to Dumbledore's office for sweat dripped down his face and the hair near the crown of his hair was wet with it. His barrel of a chest heaved and he struggled for breath. "Professors! Professor Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore immediately rose from his seat and hurried around the desk. Holding his hands up to calm the big man, he spoke gently. "What is it, Hagrid?"

"I … I did … something awful, Professor!" Hagrid breathed in between gasps for air. His dark eyes were wild with fear and worry. "The Acklay! I let it loose and it demolished my house! It's out there somewhere on the grounds! We have to _do_ something right away! Round up a hunting party or something! I tried to get it with my crossbow but the arrows bounced right off it! It must have armor like a Muggle car!"

"An Acklay?" Dumbledore asked. The Headmaster seemed to know _everything_ that went on in the school and on the grounds. He was also an expert wizard and had the title of warlock. Almost never was there a creature, spell or magical device he had _not_ heard of. But he had no idea what an Acklay was and for Dumbledore the thought was unnerving.

"I didn't mean any harm! Honest!" Hagrid quickly added as he remembered he was still carrying Fang and gently set his old dog down onto the floor. "I didn't know it would make so much trouble! I just wanted to feed it is all…"

"Hagrid!" Minerva McGonagall cried as she stepped forward and gripped one of his thick arms. "The students! Where are they?"

"Oh, they escaped into the Dark Forest." Hagrid admitted, worry in his voice. "I would have gone after them but I needed to tell ya about the beastie…"

"This is a _disaster_!" Snape declared loudly. "There will be more incidents like this until you expel him, mark my words!"

McGonagall's hands flew to her mouth in horror. "They'll be _killed_ in there! Oh, Albus! We must send out a rescue party immediately!"

"And we must find a way to destroy this creature…" Reminded Snape. "Let us hope that the rest of our students are safe inside and that none have gone wondering…"

Down in the Slytherin common room, another argument was going on. Although this one was not as heated as the one Snape was involved in.

"But Draco said we were supposed to keep an eye on him…" Crabbe reminded the other plump boy, his arms filled with cupcakes, as he walked into the Common Room from the outer hallway of the dungeons.

"Well, do _you_ want to get near him?" Goyle asked, his arms also filled with cupcakes. "I heard he has Zombie Rot…"

"Well, no. But I don't want Draco mad at me, either." Crabbe admitted. He eyed one of the black leather sofas and paused. "Did the old creep sit on that one yet?"

Goyle shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know…"

"It might be contaminated…" Crabbe remarked as he eyed it suspiciously. "It's just not right! Us not being able to sit on _our_ sofa because _he_ might have touched it!"

Goyle nodded in agreement. Carefully laying his stash of cupcakes down on a nearby coffee table, Goyle picked up a chocolate one and started to eat it. Even though supper had just recently ended, he was still hungry. "Better not chance it."

Following the other boy's example, Crabbe set his pile down on the table, too. "So, should we go see what the zombie is doing? Draco will expect a report later."

"Guess so…" Goyle uttered with a mouthful of desert, crumbs falling onto his black robe. Glaring at a bunch of terrified First Years that huddled near the room's large window, the plump boy shook his fat fist. "Go near our food and you'll be sorry for a week!"

"Yeah, a week spent in the hospital!" Crabbe added with malice, his piggy eyes promising all types of pain.

The First Years ducked down and quivered in fear.

Satisfied, the two thick Third Years headed towards where they suspected Palpatine might be. The school had given him his own room down in the dormitory, as no one else wanted to room with him. As they came closer to his room, they heard some odd sounds coming from it. Glancing at each other, they shrugged. Neither had any idea what the sounds could be … except for music? But they had never heard music like this before. Reaching the door to Palpatine's room, they used a simple charm to make the door swing open on its hinges. The charm was used for safety reasons, of course. Actually touching the door was a guaranteed way to catch the dreaded Zombie Rot. The door open, both boys gawked open mouthed in shock.

Palpatine stood in the middle of the floor, his bed and trunk shoved against the wall. His arms were stretched high overhead. This caused his wide sleeves to roll downward and pile up around his shoulders. Big loose flabs of wrinkled skin swung freely from his arms and this sight made both boys slightly nauseous. And being nauseous now was not a good thing as they had just eaten. Ever so slowly Palpatine bent forward, his arms moving down. After what seemed like forever his hands touched the tips of his boots. When this happened there was a loud POP and CRACK from the old man's spine. Palpatine grimaced but slowly started to straighten up. After about five minutes or so, he was back to the original position with his hands high over his head.

"What's he doing?" Crabbe asked his companion, a puzzled look on his plump face.

"Beats me…" Goyle shrugged. "It doesn't look very interesting though…"

"Why is he touching his toes for?" Crabbe asked as he continued to watch Palpatine exercise.

"Let Draco figure it out…" Goyle suggested as he turned to head back toward his pile of chocolate cupcakes. "We'll just tell him what we saw."

"Yeah." Shoving a Second Year out of his way roughly, Crabbe hurried back to his pile of bakery. It was _good_ to be a Third Year.

Down at Saint Mungo's, Mandy Cloudkicker just returned to the room with several bottles of potions. The medi-witch turned to Lord Vader. "You'll need to drink these potions. For that, you'll need to remove the mask I'm afraid…"

"You said I'd have to stay overnight?" Vader asked, sure he must have heard wrong. Injuries couldn't be healed that quickly if at all. "A single night?"

"That's right." She replied as she lined the bottles up on a small table next to the bed. "Now I must warn you this will hurt and there's nothing I can do about that. Re-growing limbs is not a pleasant experience I'm afraid…"

"Pain is not a problem." Vader replied as he watched her pour one of the potions into a glass. It was clear and looked like water. The Sith Lord pondered how a simple drink could do so much. It seemed impossible. But then, instant matter transport was supposed to be impossible, too. Palpatine had accidentally discovered a real goldmine of Force abilities here on this backwater planet. Did his Master realize the true potential of this place or was he just attending the school for a diversion? With Palpatine one never knew for the elderly man often kept the truth to himself. He may be here for any number of reasons. Reaching up near his chin, Vader unhooked the devices that held his mask in place. He could breath for a short time with the mask off. Hopefully he'd be able to drink the potions before his breathing would grow too difficult. But first, the helmet needed to be removed and he did not have the mechanical device that helped him in his quarters. That meant a live person would have to do it. The medi-witch was the logical choice. "You will have to help me remove the helmet. It lifts off."

"All right." Mandy agreed good-naturedly. Reaching for the black metal helmet, she gripped it carefully and lifted it up. It was heavier than it looked and that surprised her. Within moments, his baldhead was exposed. In several places there were ugly red wounds and what could only be jagged cracks. The medi-witch gulped; for it wasn't often she saw such terrible wounds on a living person. Truthfully, she didn't want to imagine how they must have appeared when they were fresh.

"Make sure you have the potions ready. I cannot keep the mask off for very long." Vader instructed her as he carefully peeled the metal mask from his face. As he did so there was a loud gasp of air escaping. Finally the mask was removed to expose a face that hadn't seen the sun for a long, long time. Vader's skin was pasty white and dark circles were under both eyes. The extreme whiteness of his skin made the angry red wounds on his head stand out even more so. But his eyes were a brilliant fiery red with dark pupils, the only real color on the exposed Sith Lord. His suit went up to his bottom lip almost, two thin tubes bringing pure oxygen up to his nose. If it weren't for the tubes he wouldn't be able to do this at all. The medi-witch handed him one glass of potion at a time and he silently drank them down. The terrible taste would have made most people retch and instinctively spit the potion out, but Vader had been trained as a Jedi since he was a boy. The training had thought him many things, including how to walk for a week straight without collapsing from exhaustion. He had been exposed to foods from over a thousand worlds, each one with a unique taste. So he simply drank it down without the slimmest sign of disgust. After the last one had been swallowed, he replaced the mask so he could breath easily until the potions kicked in.

Across the room, Lucius pondered the man before him in the hospital bed. He had seen the deep wounds on his head, the ugly scar tissue from burns. And if he hadn't been mistaken, had those been actual _cracks_ in his skull? How could a person actually _survive_ something like that? Where did he find the necessary _willpower_ to get through it? To have one's limbs _burned off_ by lava… And had it actually been _Muggles_ that had repaired him? How could mere Muggles do something like that, even if they had been forced to use bits of metal? Until he had been told the legs and arms were artificial, he had mistaken them for the real thing. Could it be Muggles were much more than what he took them for? Up until now, he had always thought Muggles to be weak and powerless, insubstantial. Perhaps they were not the primitive fools he thought they were…

And those eyes...

They were worst than Palpatine's! A chill of cold artic air had gone down his spine at the sight of those red eyes. He had felt naked and exposed before them. Did Lord Vader know Legilimency? He would bet he did. And the raw anger he saw in them...

"If you need anything, please let me know." The medi-witch said as she left the room.

Head held high, Lucius walked across the room and sat down in the chair next to Vader's bed. Tossing his long blonde hair behind him, he rested his snake-headed cane against one of his legs. "So, do you feel any different?"

"There is a warmth and tingling…" Vader replied and he suspected the potions were starting to work.

"Are the Muggles on your vehicle your servants?" Lucius asked, curious. He had never heard of a place where wizards could work openly among Muggles. It was unheard of.

"They are paid employees of the Empire." Vader explained. He could feel the potions working now, as a new pain appeared where his arms and legs joined his body. Closing his eyes behind the mask and reaching inward with the Force, he was startled to discover that the wizard before him was right: he actually _was_ growing new limbs! Shifting his inner sight to his chest, he was equally astonished. His lungs and heart were repairing themselves, cell by cell. It was a miracle and these wizards took it for granted. Even the old Jedi Healers couldn't repair the body on this scale or magnitude. If they could have seen something like this, they would have been shocked. Of course, they were all long dead.

"And has it always been this way where you come from? I did not think that Muggles and wizards could exist side by side." Lucius remarked. Truthfully, he was surprised that they actually _paid_ the Muggles. Why not just keep them as slaves like they did with house elves? But if the Muggles could do so much with their bits of metal…

"For a thousand years the Jedi were the protectors of the Republic." Vader recited from memory.

"Jedi?" The Pureblood asked, his brow rose in question.

"The Jedi were what you call wizards." Lord Vader explained as his body continued to heal at a rapid pace. Reaching inward with the Force, he sped it along. Was he not the most powerful Jedi _or_ Sith that ever lived, minus Palpatine of course. Every passing moment he grew stronger and more complete, the accompanying pain an old friend to him. In fact, he took strength from the pain and used it to heal more of his mangled body. "They were highly respected. They were raised and trained in a huge Temple complex on Coruscant, the central system of the Republic. Muggles gave them all the money they needed to run the Temple and in exchange the Jedi protected the Muggles and solved complex problems. Jedi were the peace keepers, the diplomats that went where others feared to trod, the warriors who controlled astonishing powers…"

"You actually _protected_ Muggles?" Lucius asked, shocked once again. Would this man ever stop shocking him? "Why in the world would you protect worthless Muggles? And they _paid_ you to do so?"

Lucius grew silent, fearful he had exposed too much of his true self. It wasn't wise to advertise his dislike of Muggles. The Ministry of Magic _did_ protect Muggles, of course. That much wasn't so very different. But the man before him didn't look weak in his opinion. No, he would bet everything that he was a practitioner of the Dark Arts. But having Muggles pay the wizards, now that _was_ a new idea.

"Because it was our job. It was an honor to do so."

"So," Lucius remarked as he thought about the unique situation. "You were servants to the Muggles then?"

"In a way. But they didn't force us to do anything. We were the ones with the power. We were the ones really in control."

"And?" Lucius prompted the Sith Lord. "Where are the Jedi now?"

"They're all extinct." Vader explained as his body continued to heal rapidly. "Palpatine destroyed them all in a single day."

To be contined…


	10. Harry To the Rescue!

Emperor of Slytherin 10

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! It means a lot to me.

"He … he destroyed _all_ of them?" Lucius stuttered, shocked. His silver snake-headed cane clattered to the ground and the wealthy Pureblood didn't even notice. He had known Palpatine was evil, yes, but he had never imagined such a thing. It was sheer genocide! And how could he have killed all of the wizards? Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't easy to kill a wizard. "How could that be possible?"

"With Order Sixty-Six built into the clone army…" Vader replied without really paying any attention to the blonde wizard. With most of his attention focused inward, Vader concentrated on helping the potions cure his injuries. The faster he was healed, the better. It had been far too long since he had been a mere shell of his former self and he eagerly anticipated being at full power again. What had once been utter pain in his chest was now reduced to a mere ache. Carefully he took a deep breath and was overwhelmed to actually feel his lungs once again expand with air! Reaching up, Lord Vader removed the mask for what he hoped would be the last time…

Laying the metal mask on the bed next to him, he breathed in and out on his own for the first time in two decades. It was sheer bliss! He felt his scalp start to tingle and he reached upward with an inquisitive hand only to discover he was growing hair. Hair! A bright ray of hope bloomed in his heart for a brief moment and some of the darkness parted, but only for a brief moment. He was a Sith and would never go back to being a weak-minded Jedi fool. The brownish locks of soft hair quickly lengthened and tangled waves formed, the locks just brushing his shoulders. Soon he would be complete and far more dangerous than ever. An evil grin spread across his lips and his red gaze flickered to the wizard who sat gawking at him. "Well?"

"But I don't understand," Lucius admitted, confused. "He's a wizard. Why would he kill all the others?"

Vader focused his blood red eyes on the wizard and smoothly slid his legs out of the bed so his feet rested on the floor. For a dark wizard, the man was incredibly naïve. With a flick of his wrist, the Sith Lord carelessly tossed one of his mechanical arms across the room, keeping only his trademark black glove. It was clear the potions must have somehow taken care of the mechanical attachments as well as growing him new limbs. Exactly how was a mystery but at the moment he didn't have time to investigate it. Almost as soon as the fake arm was removed a new flesh-and-blood one replaced it. Vader held his new hand up before his eyes and stared at it for a long moment as he flexed his fingers.

Lucius stared open-mouthed at the arm that had literally grown right before his eyes. "But … but … it's too soon! It's supposed to take all night!"

"The Force is my ally and a powerful ally it is. I have simply used my own powers to speed up the healing process." Vader replied as he quoted Master Yoda. Although Yoda may have been a Jedi and Vader was now a Sith, the words still rang true. Both Jedi and Sith relied on the Force for their power. All living things created the Force and those who possessed Medi-clorians could use it. Medi-clorians were microscopic life forms that lived within the cells of a Jedi, Sith or wizard. They were symbiants, two life forms living together for mutual benefit and without them magic would be impossible. And Lord Vader, having the distinguished honor of being the Jedi with the highest Medi-clorian count ever, was thus the most powerful wizard ever born. But it never had been easy for him to control those powers as a boy. He had constantly tried to outrun his destiny of bring the Chosen One, the person who was prophesied to bring balance to the Force. What a bunch of nonsense that had been! He had been the one who had _helped_ Palpatine destroy the Jedi! Throwing his other mechanical arm across the room, Vader was pleased to see he now sported two flesh-and-blood arms. All he had to do now were his legs…

"You want to know why Palpatine destroyed all the Jedi?" Vader asked, his blood red eyes focused on the cold gray ones before him. "I'll tell you why. Because there can only be _two_ Sith. It's the rule. A Master and an Apprentice. If you have more than that then the others will always be seen as a threat. So he eliminated them."

Vader grew quite for a moment as he thought of Luke. Where was the boy now? He had come so close to catching him on Bespin but he had managed to escape with his friends anyway.

/If I ever catch him, I'll bring him here so he can grow a new hand./

It was the most practical thing to do. Luke would function better with a real hand instead of a mechanical droid construct that blocked the Force. That way he would prove to be a much better apprentice. No, he wasn't being sentimental or kind-hearted in the least. Nor was it wrong for him to want the best medical treatment for his only child.

"It is why he wishes to kill my son."

"He would kill your own son?" Lucius asked, his face paling. If that were true, then what would Palpatine do to the school and the wizarding world? Perhaps the situation was far worst than he had feared! Had the Emperor really come to Hogwarts to mercilessly wipe out all of the wizards? But if that were so than why in Merlin was he attending classes? The whole thing made no sense!

And Voldemort? What of him? Would he also follow this _only two_ rule? Did he plan on wiping out all of his Death Eaters once they had given him what he desired and he had no further use for them? The Dark Lord certainly had no problem eliminating those Death Eaters who had failed him in the past. He also tended to use them as an example for his other followers to help keep them in line. Of course, he was gone for the moment. Even Lucius wasn't too sure of Voldemort's true fate. Had the man really been killed when the Death Curse had bounced off young Potter only to leave him with a red scar in the shape of a lightning bolt? Or was Voldemort still out there somewhere? Lucius wasn't sure but he had to admit he sort of liked it with him gone. He had grown up during the span of passing years and now held a respectable job of School Governor. He also had the ear of the Ministry of Magic. Truth be told, he possessed quite a lot of power by himself and didn't really need to run around hiding behind a mask to feel powerful. In had been in his rebellious youth that he had joined the group, the thrill of it all attracting him. Yes, he was still concerned about the plight of the Purebloods, but what could Voldemort really _do_ about that? Killing Muggle-borns wouldn't increase the number of Pureblood families and they could only inbred so much. Why hadn't he seen that before?

Perhaps he had been a fool for joining Voldemort in the first place, especially now that he had some idea of how truly evil wizards really operated. More than likely, the Dark Lord only cared for himself. He was a true Slytherin trough and trough. The idea of tossing away his followers like a used tissue when the war was over… it was distasteful to say the least. And Draco! If Palpatine were willing to kill Vader's son, then would Voldemort want to kill his? The two seemed to be on par with each other after all. He couldn't allow anything to happen to Draco! The boy was his only heir! And no matter what others thought, he wasn't a brutal father. He cared for his son and his well-being. And if anyone dare harm his son, that person would pay.

Snapping out of his reverie, Lucius returned his gaze to the Sith Lord only to witness the fake legs being removed. The sight was certainly unnerving; the droid parts extremely distasteful. Soon real feet with wiggling toes appeared from the bottom of the armor and leather pant legs. The red-eyed man pulled his boots back on and then his gloves. He watched as Vader stared down at the mask and helmet that had been part of him for so long, hesitating. The wizard was sure they would be left behind now that he was healed but he was proven wrong again. Lord Vader picked both items up carefully and cradled them in his arms.

"You will not say a word of this healing to Palpatine." Vader ordered, the promise of a painful death dancing in his frightening eyes. For now, it would be best if the Emperor did not suspect the truth. Sith Apprentices did not always _stay_ apprentices but moved up in rank by killing their Masters. "Serve me well and you will be greatly rewarded."

Lucius nodded. Truthfully, he was just relieved the healing potions had done their job or he may have been lying there dead!

"And now we must go. I sense a disturbance in the Force and our presence is required elsewhere." Vader informed him matter-of-factly. With that, Vader reached out and called the snake-headed cane to his hand. Handing it back to the wizard, Vader than pulled the other to his feet with a tight grip to the wrist. With that, space twisted and the Sith Lord easily apparated the both of them to just outside the Hogwarts grounds.

Up in Gryffindor Tower, Harry nervously paced the floor of the almost empty Common Room. It was growing late and Hermoine still hadn't returned from serving detention with Professor McGonagall. Normally this wouldn't bother him all that much, but Malfoy had to serve with her. And if there was a single person in the school that he didn't trust it was Malfoy. Well, Snape was worst, of course, but then Snape was a teacher. Nor was Snape involved in this particular detention.

"I'm sure Hermoine will be back any minute…" Ron said from where he lazed in a big stuffed chair in front of the fireplace, open books scattered on the table before him. The redhead had finished most of his homework but had now run out of steam. Besides, homework was really quite boring and tedious. He eyed his scroll of messy penmanship and he could almost imagine Hermoine shaking her head sadly at the messy work.

"It's nearly fully dark out. She should have been back by now…" Harry worriedly glanced out the nearby window, seeing nothing but his own reflection. He leaned closer to the cold glass and shoved his nose right up against it. Outside it was pitch black or so it seemed to the Boy That Lived. Not a light burned in the distant window of Hagrid's hut, which he also thought of as a bit odd. Surely by now Hagrid would be there, as supper had been over for quite a long time, long enough for him to finish his homework anyway. Yet the grounds appeared dark and deserted. "I don't see any lights in Hagrid's hut…"

"So?" Ron said as he started to open a chocolate frog. "He's probably asleep already."

"Something doesn't feel right." Harry admitted nervously as he backed away from the window that was now fogged with his breath. His intense green eyes flickered towards the portrait hole. He hoped that any minute it would swing open and Hermoine's bushy brown head would appear, her heavy bag of books in tow. Yet for some odd reason he knew that wasn't going to happen. Could he be having a real premonition? After the tea-leave reading fiasco in Divinations he doubted it. It was far more likely that his mind was running away with itself and thinking up worst-case scenarios. He had gotten so used to the idea that bad stuff would happen to him that he now expected it.

"But she's with McGonagall!" Ron pointed out as he happily bit the head off his frog. "Remember?"

"And Malfoy!" Harry reminded, a frown on his face. "I think we should go looking for her. Who knows what that bloody git might have done?"

"Yeah. All right." Ron rose from his chair and stretched, then moved towards the portrait hole. Pausing, he turned to look at his dark haired friend. "Are you going to bring the cloak?"

"I better. It's getting late and almost curfew." Harry dashed up the stairs to his dormitory and retrieved the cloak from his trunk. Once he had it, he hurried back down the stone steps and rejoined Ron at the exit. Flipping the invisibility cloak over the two of them, they pushed the door open and snuck out into the deserted hallway. It took a matter of minutes to follow the various staircases down until they reached the Transfiguration classroom only to discover it empty as well. "There're not here."

Ron's eyes grew wide in worry as he shifted to look at Harry. "So where is she then? Surly you don't think Malfoy did something to her, do you?"

"I don't know." Harry admitted as he paused to think. He suspected that Malfoy by himself was a coward and Hermoine could probably handle him, but if his two goons were lying in wait… His mind made up, Harry started to stalk down the corridor towards the entrance to the Dungeons. "We'll check out the Slytherins…"

"But we don't know the password…" Ron pointed out as he was forced to keep up with Harry's faster pace.

"We'll think of something, I'm sure." Harry wasn't going to rest until he had found Hermoine. He just hoped that wherever she was that she was OK. "If Malfoy did anything to her, I swear I'll kill that git!"

They had almost reached the entrance to the Dungeons when a terrible sound reached their ears.

Ron's terrified eyes opened as wide as possible and his bottom lip started to tremble. "W-what w-was t-t-that?"

Harry paused, head tilted as he listened. The high-pitch sound repeated again and his eyes flickered to the nearby doors that led outside to the courtyard. "It's coming from outside…"

"It is? Well, let's stay inside then, all right?" Ron said hopefully as he shot a frightened glance at the doors. "I mean, she's probably down in the Dungeons with Malfoy. No need to go outside…"

"Hermoine might need our help!" Harry replied as he shot a glare at his friend. "It occurred to me she might have been serving detention with Hagrid tonight. Remember First Year? And didn't Hagrid get that big crate today? I bet she's out there, Ron! This is no time to be hiding in the castle!"

"But…." Ron protested weakly. He remembered all too well the hollow with all the spiders. "What if it tries to _eat_ us?"

"If that were you out there, you'd want help, wouldn't you?" Harry asked, an intense look in his green eyes.

Ron nodded.

"Then let's go!" Harry whipped the cloak off and ran forward. It wasn't important now who saw him, not if one of his friends were in danger. Heck, he'd do the same thing to save _anyone_ from the school. Harry realized that most of the student body wasn't capable of such heroic actions and through means he didn't understand all that clearly, the job of Hero had fallen squarely on his shoulders. He didn't exactly like it, but he did it. What other choice did he have? If he didn't, innocent people would die. He just hoped he wasn't too late. No, he pushed the thought from his mind and wouldn't even consider the possibility. He _would_ get there on time. There was no other choice. The doors were pushed open and he ran outside, Ron hot on his heels. Pausing for a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, both boys pulled out their wands.

"Keep your guard up." Harry warned as he inched forward, his eyes scanning the darkness. "It could be anywhere and judging by the size of that crate, it's probably large as well."

Ron whimpered but stuck to Harry's side. "You … you don't think its another giant _spider_, do you?"

"I don't know." Harry admitted honestly. The thought of what the thing in the crate was _did_ worry him. If the talk flying around the school was correct about the odd flying craft being a space ship, then the thing inside may have been a real alien. It could be anything, he supposed. Who knew what an alien animal would look like or how it might move? And more importantly, how would he stop it? The darkness around them was hampering and he frowned. "We need light. _Lumos Maxima!_ There. That's better."

A bright white light sprung out from Harry's wand immediately and moments later a second, weaker light from Ron's joined it. The two glanced around, Ron more nervously then Harry. In silent agreement they headed towards Hagrid's hut and when they reached the top of the steep hill they both stopped, shocked.

"L-l-look!" Ron pointed with a trembling finger. Down below they could see the crate stood open next to the ruins of their big friend's house. The roof had collapsed and large sections of it could be seen among the pile of rubble and broken fieldstone. Hagrid's house had always been so warm and inviting, so stable and strong. What in the world could have just knocked it down like that?

"Hagrid!" Harry screamed and started to run down the steep hill toward the house, but Ron clutched his arm tightly and dug his heels into the grass.

"No, Harry! That thing could be _anywhere_!"

"Let go of me, Ron! Hagrid could be trapped down there! Hermoine as well! I have to help them!" Harry struggled to pull free of the redhead's grip and after a moment, finally did. He didn't want to think of what kind of creature could have done something like this. It must rival the basilisk in size to do that sort of damage…

Just then a pale light appeared from the edge of the Dark Forest.

"Look!" Ron pointed towards the bobbing light.

"Someone's using the _lumos_ spell…" Harry guessed as he too saw the light. He hoped that it was Hermoine and that Hagrid was with her. Heck, he even hoped the stupid git was all right. As much as he disliked Malfoy, he had to secretly admit life would be pretty boring without him. Who would challenge him in Quidditch? No one, that's who. All the other team's Seekers didn't stand a chance.

"Harry!" Hermoine's voice called.

"It's Hermoine!" Harry shouted joyfully as he glanced happily at Ron. "She's OK! Hermoine, up here!"

"Harry!" Hermoine shouted up to him from where she stood at the edge of the Dark Forest, Draco next to her. The two were just on the edge of the tree line and dared go no further. "Watch out for the Acklay! It could be anywhere! Do you see it?"

Harry glanced around quickly, but his light only went so far. In fact, there were more patches of deep dark shadows out there than light and that made him nervous. The thing could be _anywhere_. And the more he thought about it, the loud shouting was probably attracting it. Not good, not good at all!

"I don't like this, Harry!" Ron whined next to him, the arm holding his wand shaking. "That thing must be _huge_ to knock down Hagrid's house!"

"We have to do something!" Harry decisively told the other boy. His stomach was tying itself into a knot, as he knew he was facing instant death again. But the clock was ticking and moments were being wasted. "We have to get them back to the castle! We'll use the invisibility cloak and maybe it won't see us…"

"But Harry!" Ron pointed out. "Four people won't _fit_ under the cloak! We barely fit under there the way it is now!"

"It's all we have…" Harry pointed out and he started down the hill towards them at a run.

Meanwhile, Lord Vader and Lucius had appeared at the very edge of the Hogwarts ground. Vader, being a noted risk taker from years ago when he had gone by the name of Anakin Skywalker, had cut the apparition very close to the boundaries. He used to live for the thrill of podracing, of freefalling from thousands feet up in rushing Coruscant traffic, the deadly whirl of a fast lightsaber battle. These days the only thrill he ever got was in the dogfights within the cockpit of his special Tie-Fighter. But facing off against non-Force users wasn't a real challenge. Blowing the tiny X-wings or Y-Wings to blazing bits of rubbish was all too easy. It never taxed him or challenged his skills. But with his body full and complete once again, the Force sang throughout him as it had in the old days. He had forgotten how it had felt, the sensation burned away as the lava had burned away his flesh. Still, the Force called to him now and he responded. "Come!"

With that simple command, Vader Force-jumped over the huge gate that bordered the edge of Hogwarts property. And the way he did it, why, one would think he were flying on a broom or hopping over a simple knee-high obstacle! Yet in reality the gate was twice as tall as a person! Doing a flip in mid-air, Lord Vader landed on the other side as soft as a feather and took off up the path towards the castle.

Lucius stood there for a moment, gawking. Being a Pureblood from an old and well-respected family, he had thought himself well educated in all things magical. Yet he had never seen or heard about anyone so easily leaping over such a tall obstacle. Closing his mouth firmly, he used his wand to unlock the decorative wrought iron gate and entered the more traditional way. Once it was secure behind him, he hurried up towards the castle in Vader's footsteps. Although he considered himself in good condition, it became painfully obvious that he was _not_, for the Sith Lord was nowhere to be seen. Feeling that speed was off the essence, he ran on. Soon the castle itself came into sight as well as an unexplained light off in the general direction of the groundskeeper's miserable excuse for a house. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, he realized that he heard shouting. And since the shouting was coming from the vicinity of Hagrid's house, he dashed off in that direction.

A weak light was soon visible and as he came closer it turned into the youngest Weasley boy, Ronald. The boy's hand was vibrating so badly that the wand almost fell from his grip. As far as he could tell, the redhead was standing alone on top of the steep hill that overlooked the half-giant's house. Lucius approached him quickly from behind. "What are you doing out at this hour?"

"AAAhhhhh!" Ron shrieked, terrified. He clutched at his chest with a free hand, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Don't _do_ that! I thought you were that _thing_!"

"What thing?" Lucius asked, unsure what the Weasley boy was referring to.

"That giant thing that wrecked Hagrid's house! _That_ thing!"

A shrill scream broke the air and made the hairs on the back of Lucius' neck stand up. Looking down the hill, he spotted Potter racing towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The boy's wand was brightly lit and there, at the edge of the tree line, another lit wand. The situation became clear within seconds. A dangerous creature was loose on the school grounds and students were in danger. And that shock of pale hair down there; surely that wasn't his _son_, was it? A grim expression on his face, Lucius pulled his wand from inside his cane and started down the hill after Potter.

Ron hesitated for a moment, undecided if he should stay where he was or follow the Death Eater towards the others. Remembering how easy it had been for Lucius to sneak up on him in the dark, Ron raced after him. If nothing else, Ron figured the older man knew the Death Curse…But would even the Death Curse work on something so huge? Hopefully they'd never have to find out.

Harry had finally reached Hermoine and Draco. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"Oh, Harry! I'm so glad to see you!" Hermoine cried in relief as she threw herself at her friend and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That thing got loose and it almost killed us! It's some giant mutant crab!"

The loud bellow was repeated and the ground started to shake violently under their feet.

"Run!" Harry shouted as he gave both Draco and Hermoine a rough shove towards the hill. His lit wand was still in one hand while the other clung tightly to his invisibility cloak. By the scream he had just heard, the crab monster must be extremely close. The Boy Who Lived started to run after the other two teens and he felt slightly relieved at the sight of Draco's father racing down the hill towards them. Never in his life would he have thought he'd be actually glad to see the man. Yet he un -doubtfully was. Not that Harry trusted adults, but he wasn't going to be so picky in this dangerous situation.

"Father!" Draco cried as he ran up to the older version of himself and clung to his waist. Hermoine and Harry joined the two Malfoys on the side of the hill. A moment after that Ron joined them as well.

Just then the Acklay appeared from behind the rubble of Hagrid's hut, the pounding footsteps having attracted it. Bellowing an angry cry, it attempted to race towards them. Unknown to the crab-like creature, there wasn't enough clearance space between the wreck of the house and the edge of the forest. Part of its giant shell hit a tree…

"Maybe … maybe it'll get stuck there…" Ron said wistfully, but his tone of voice said he didn't believe it for a moment.

CRACK!

The towering tree the Acklay had hit began to sway and then it toppled. Within seconds it became clear to Harry just where the upper branches of the tree would land: right on them! "Move!"

Lord Vader appeared out of the darkness, his red energy blade humming. His long black cloak flapped in a breeze, as did his wavy brown hair. Unlike the wizards and witch, the sight of the terrifying beast didn't seem to bother him at all. He simply held out an arm towards the falling tree and the tree paused in mid-fall. Next Vader made a waving motion and the entire tree sailed through the air to crash to the ground far away from the small group of people.

Ron's mouth dropped open in utter shock. "Did you _see_ that? How the bloody heck did he _do_ that? I didn't know you could levitate objects that big! That tree must weigh a ton!"

The Acklay screamed its rage and raced at Lord Vader. The Sith calmly waited, his red lightsaber in his hand. When the creature was close, he Force-jumped up into the air and did several summersaults. When he landed a few seconds later it was on the beast's hard shell. From there it was a simple matter to lope its head off with his sword. The monster crashed to the ground and lay unmoving as black blood pumped out of its horrendous neck wound. His job finished, Vader leaped down from the creature's back and marched towards the others.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as he stared up at the man in the black suit of body armor. "How did you levitate that tree like it was a mere feather?"

Vader paused near the teenager for a moment, his red eyes glaring in the light from the lit wands. "Size doesn't matter."

With that, he disappeared into the night.

To be continued…

Well, hope that was interesting. I tried to make the end exciting but I'm not very good at writing action…


	11. The Daily Prophet

Emperor 11

Harry walked with the others back towards the castle, his wand gripped tightly in his hand and the _Lumos_ spell glowing brightly. As they reached the top of the hill, he couldn't help looking back towards the area where he knew the headless carcass lay. The monster crab, if that's what the thing had been, could have killed them all. And it would have, too. But then that stranger showed up and had saved them all. Why he saved them he didn't know and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was enough that he had, as Harry really didn't think he was capable of stopping something so big that it could knock down full grown trees as if they were matchsticks. But who was he, the man with the creepy red eyes? It was clear he was from the same unknown place as Palpatine, as he also had a red laser sword. Harry shook his head to chase the thought away. It didn't matter, not really. He had enough problems with Voldemort already and didn't need to worry about some new dark wizard. Palpatine was attending school and that was fine with him. Weariness crept over him and he lifted a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. Now that the threat of danger was over he felt tired, the adrenaline draining from his body.

His green eyes darted over to his platinum blonde classmate. Malfoy was walking alongside his father, the coward. Was Draco still planning on taking Palpatine on? The Boy That Lived hoped so, even if Hermione didn't agree. The simple truth was he was tired of solving everyone's problems and was more than willing to let the Slytherin handle this. And Palpatine was in Slytherin, too, right? So in a way it was nothing more than internal House politics. As a Gryffindor, it was none of his business really…

Excited voices could be heard from up ahead and as Harry stepped off the end of the long bridge he was pleased to see several professors, Hagrid included. All of them had their wands out and held at the ready, no doubt planning on tracking the creature down and destroying it. The big half-giant, not being allowed to use magic, gripped his strong crossbow in both hands. Even though it had proved ineffective against the beast, it was still the best weapon he had. A warm burst of relief and joy shot through his body, momentarily causing him to forget the fact that he was tired. "Hagrid, you're OK!"

Darting forward, Harry ran up to the half-giant and wrapped his arms partway around his thick waist. Ron and Hermione soon joined suit, hugging their big friend as well. Puling back slightly, Harry tilted his head back and gazed up at Hagrid warmly. "When I saw your house destroyed I fear that you've been killed!"

"Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed in a gruff voice. "You shouldn't be out here! That nasty beastie is about… And Ron, nor should you. The both of you belong safe in your beds."

"The creature is dead." Lucius calmly stated, one black-gloved hand resting on Draco's shoulder. The elder Malfoy stood there regally, his long pale hair trailing down his back. His long expensive cloaked flapped in a breeze, revealing the blood red inner lining. He appeared totally at ease even though moments before he had faced possible death from either a falling tree or the Acklay itself. His steel gray eyes showed no hint of emotion, his face the perfect mask. As a Death Eater, he had been in tense situations before and they didn't faze him as it would to certain others.

"Dead? How?" Hagrid asked as his dark eyes fell on the suspected Death Eater. It was no big secret that he didn't like Lucius and now he stared at the blonde man suspiciously. "Killed it with Dark Magic, did you?"

"I most certainly did not!" Lucius huffed, insulted. The Pureblood stuck his chin into the air and coolly glared at the large, hairy-faced man. His free hand tightened on his snake-headed cane as cold anger burned in his eyes. Normally anyone looking into his eyes would have had a hard time determining if they were blue or gray, but now they took on a definite steel gray color; dark and overcast. "The very idea of suggesting that _I_ know Dark Magic…!"

"We know what you are!" Hagrid stated as he placed a big protective hand on Harry's shoulder as if that could protect him from the Death Eater. Something akin to hatred shone in his dark eyes. Normally the big man was extremely easy-going and was willing to overlook things, but some people just rubbed him the wrong way. And Lucius Malfoy just happened to be one of those people.

"Hagrid! Lucius!" Dumbledore cried as he stepped forward, his voice loud and commanding. The Headmaster's long white beard flapped in the wind, as did his pale bluish-purple robes. "We will have no squabbles! You are both on the staff now and I'll expect you to treat each other decently."

"But Professor!" Hagrid protested, a wild look in his dark coal eyes.

"Calm yourself, Hagrid." Dumbledore waved his hands in the air to emphasize his words and the half-giant reluctantly let the matter drop. "Everyone appears to be fine and that's all that matters. Hagrid, you'll have to spend the night in the castle, of course. Tomorrow we'll rebuild your home using magic and it'll soon be just as good as new. The students, meanwhile, need to go back to their respective common rooms. They've had a busy night and I'm sure they're in dire need of a good rest."

Professor Snape stepped forward, his dark eyes scanning the night around them. Satisfied that nothing lurked in the inky blackness, he focused his gaze on Lucius. "Is the creature truly dead?"

"Yes, it is." Lucius confirmed a second time. "Lord Vader lopped its head off with one of those red swords…"

Snape glowered at the news, his thin lips turning down at the news. "Palpatine is bad enough. The last thing we need is _two_ of these red sword-wielding maniacs in the school! Where did this new one go?"

Lucius blinked, raising a dark brow. "I haven't the slightest idea."

Frowning even more, the Potions professor glared at the wealthy Pureblood. "I will not do your job, Lucius. You best keep an eye on Palpatine and don't go wondering off anymore. Merlin knows what he'll do next and since the Headmaster refuses to expel him, there is little that we can actually do I'm afraid."

Ron's eyes grew wide at this bit of news, his mouth gaping open. Turning his shocked expression from Harry to Hermione, he then settled his gaze on Dumbledore. "You're not going to expel him? Even after what he did? He knocked a bloody house down!"

Clearing his throat, Dumbledore spoke. Peering over his half-moon eyeglasses, he gazed at each person in turn. "Palpatine deserves a chance to explain himself. Perhaps he was unaware that Hagrid didn't know how to care for the creature. It may be common where he comes from…"

Disgusted, Snape turned on his heel and marched back to the castle, his long black robe furling out behind him like a pair of bat wings. "You let too many students get away with things! They need discipline, not coddling!"

Professor McGonagall stepped forward next, her hand signing to the three Gryffindors. Her pointed hat was fixed firmly upon her head and a long dark cloak trailed from her shoulders. "Come along you three! It's late and I'll escort you back to the common room. You're all extremely lucky you weren't killed…"

With a glance back at Hagrid, Harry started to follow the Head of his House towards the castle, Ron alongside him. Hermione smiled at the their big friend for a moment, the smile brightening her entire face and then she hurried after the others. Suddenly her brown eyes widened and she came to a halt. "Professor, our books! They were in Hagrid's house! How will we ever do our homework?"

McGonagall sighed but waved Hermione forward towards the castle. "We'll recover the books tomorrow. Until then you'll be excused from the various homework assignments, Miss Granger."

Horrified at actually being excused from assigned work, Hermione glumly trailed after the elderly witch and her two best friends.

A short time later Draco Malfoy stormed through the long torch-lit hallways of Hogwarts. Although he was pleased to be within the safety of the thick stonewalls, he felt as if the old zombie had bested him again. His pride had been rudely stung several times this day. In fact, the entire day had been one major tragedy right from the beginning. Not only had the old man effortlessly picked all the Snapper saw berries and saved Neville's life, but also it had been his freakish monster that had forced him into the Dark Forest. Like a frightened First Year, he had run for his life. Determination to beat Palpatine in his own game burned within him like a dark fire and his heels struck the floor hard, his stride increasing. "There has to be someway to get that old zombie. He can't know everything…"

The fact that he had no idea what Transfiguration was seemed to support this theory.

The doorway to the Dungeons was just ahead and Draco made for them, pausing when he heard a pair of familiar voices.

"Psst!" the voice called and he saw an old dusty tapestry on a nearby wall move slightly. To his utter shock, a pale hand poked out from behind it and waved in his direction. "Over hear!"

The blonde Slytherin hesitated, unsure what he should do. He knew that voice but couldn't pin it down to a specific person. It certainly wasn't Potter, Weasley or Granger; that much he was certain. So who was it and why were they hiding behind that dusty old rag? Not long ago the Golden Trio had preceded him into the castle with the old cat. Had McGonagall escorted them all the way to Gryffindor Tower or did she trust them to find their way by themselves? It was no secret she doted on them. It was down right sickening really. But Draco wasn't about to dismiss the possibility that this was some trap concocted by Potter. Perhaps Scarhead was angry with him about something? The moment with Granger came to mind. He had shoved her up against the wall angrily, demanding to know what an alien had been. He had been upset at the time; worried about his father's whereabouts. But Potter wouldn't care about that. Heart beating in his chest, he stood where he was and watched the tapestry in question. It showed some idealistic countryside, a long robed wizard with a unicorn.

The hand waved again, this time seemingly annoyed. "Do you want help getting rid of that zombie or not? If you do, step into our parlor…"

With that said, the hand vanished.

Draco felt his mouth go dry. Did someone really want to help him with Palpatine or was it just bait for a trap? His silvery gray eyes darted from the dust-covered tapestry to the doorway to the dungeon and back again. Was there a doorway behind that moldering rag? He had passed it thousands of times and never bothered giving it a second glance. The filthy thing was beneath his notice and if a hateful glare could start it afire, it would have been ashes long ago, First Year to be exact. Cornish Pixies twirled madly in his stomach and he uncertainly stepped forward. His desire for revenge against Palpatine glowed hotly and it soon overcame his common sense. Straightening his back and tossing back his shoulders, his swallowed the lump in his throat and marched forward. Reaching out, he gripped the grimy edge to the moth-eaten fabric and pulled it aside. A dark alcove waited just behind and within it sat two grinning Gryffindors.

"So you came." Fred stated with a broad smile.

"We thought you would." George finished the statement and held out his hand, a small white paper sack in it. "We invented these during the summer. Thought you might want to slip a few to that old zombie."

"It should be very hilarious." Fred's smile grew broader.

The blonde Slytherin stood there uncertainly, his cool gray eyes shifting from one twin to the other. A disdainful sneer appeared on his pale pointed face. "I don't need help from Weasleys…"

"Oh, don't be that way!" Fred replied good-naturedly. "We're not like our brother Percy. Everything has to be just so with him. It's downright annoying is what it is."

"And we admit our father has a bad temper at times…" George shrugged. "And our little brother has inherited it, but it's no reason _we_ can be open-minded, is it? Just take it, all right?"

A dark brow rising, Draco peered at the white sack but made no motion to take it. For one, he had no idea what was within it. The Weasley twins were notorious pranksters and the last thing he wanted was to be at the receiving end. A spraying bladder of ink could be in there for all he knew – or something far worst. "What's in it?"

"Just some new inventions of ours." Fred explained as he took the bag from his twin and reached inside. A moment later he showed Draco a handful of sweets. "This, for example, is a Canary Cream. Eat it and your body will sprout bright yellow feathers! Imagine that old coot panicking when the feathers appear! He'll be totally _clueless_!"

Draco relaxed somewhat, relief flooding through him. Leaning backward slightly, he checked up and down the hall for adults. He suspected his father would be coming along soon enough and he didn't want to get caught associating with Weasels. Satisfied the hall was still clear, he accepted the sack of sweets and tucked it within his robe pocket. "All right. I'll try giving him one tomorrow at breakfast…"

"That's all we ask…"

"Different colors do different things…"

"So glad you'll test them!"

Turning on a heel, Draco hurried into the Dungeons without glancing back. The more he thought about it, the better the Canary Cream sounded. A sweet looked innocent and most old men liked candy. The chance of Palpatine eating it was extremely high, especially if Draco snuck it onto the table among the other food. A satisfied smirk soon appeared on his pointed face and his step had a zing to it. Turning the corner, his long black robe trailing out behind him, he soon reached the Slytherin common room and hurried within. If he were extremely lucky, the zombie would wet himself from fear.

The night passed and soon the sun rose over the horizon. Up in Gryffindor tower, Harry groaned and sleepily rubbed at his eyes. It was another day and that meant Potions. He hated Potions and the fact that it was the first class of the day. The potions themselves weren't really that bad, but it was the teacher. Snape had a grudge against him and always acted unfairly. Crawling out of bed, Harry knew his only hope was Palpatine. With any luck, the greasy-haired teacher would shift his hatred onto the new student and leave him alone.

After bathing and dressing, Harry wondered down to the Great Hall. Hermione was already at the Gryffindor table, a miserable expression on her face. The table itself was strangely empty and he soon realized what was missing: Hermione's over-stuffed bag of books. Seating himself across from her, he shot her a warm smile.

"I feel positively _naked_ without my books! I do hope they recover them soon…" Hermione stated as she sat at the table drumming her fingers on the smooth wooden surface. "One would think they would have extra copies of all the text books in case of things like this…"

"You can share my books…" Harry offered. He hated seeing his friend so depressed. Within a few seconds he was rewarded with a cheerful smile, her warm chocolate eyes sparkling in merriment.

"Oh, Harry! You're so sweet!" Hermione cried in happiness, a slight film of wetness coating her eyes.

Her happiness was the only reward he needed.

Ron soon stumbled into the room and joined them at the table, the red head yawning loudly and sleepily gazing about. The table was rapidly filling up with their housemates and breakfast was about to be served. Just then owls swooped into the Great Hall from the numerous openings high in the walls near the ceiling, the birds carrying mail. One swooped low over the Gryffindor table and dropped a rolled parchment in front of Ron. It was his copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and he shoved it aside, uninterested.

Chocolate eyes glowing eager for knowledge, Hermione's hand whipped out across the table and snatched it. Opening it, she quickly read the bold headline and gasped. "Look! This is just unbelievable!"

"What?" Harry asked, his brows wrinkling together in confusion. "What's unbelievable?"

"I can't believe they'd print something like this!" Hermione stated as her eyes rapidly scanned the front of the newspaper.

All across the Great Hall students were reading the _Daily Prophet_, loud exclamations filling the room. The word spread rapidly and soon the entire room was abuzz with the news.

Laying the paper flat on the table, Hermione started to read to her fellow Gryffindors. Soon they had a small crowd around them that included Seamus and Neville.

**You Know Who Is Really An Alien!**

By Rita Skeeter

Shocking events have recently taken place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which I have witnessed with my own eyes. The truth about You Know Who is that he is back – and attending school. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore has refused to speak to me on this matter and the Ministry claims the person in question is someone else, but I have uncovered the truth.

The Dark Lord is back and attending classes. His skin is decayed and falling off in pieces, evidence that he has only just recently crawled out of his hidden grave. His presence alone has created chaos throughout the school. During a flying lesson for First Years, he had the students running and screaming for their lives. Apparently he now suffers from a strange disease called Zombie Rot. This disease is said to be highly contagious and anyone that comes in physical contact with him will instantly catch it, causing his or her body to rotten while still alive. His eyes are red as blood, the color seeping into the skin directly under his eyes. I suspect he suffers from internal bleeding due to his half-alive, half-dead status. At least one student has already contracted the terrible disease and is being treated at this very moment. No word on the student's progress is available at this time.

Why Dumbledore allows this great enemy of the Wizarding World to attend classes at Hogwarts is unknown. His very presence threatens not only the lives and safety of our children but their morals as well.

Worst, the truth is that the Dark Lord is NOT OF OUR WORLD!

A strange metal craft descended from the sky and landed yesterday afternoon on Hogwarts property next to the castle. This Muggle-like object was the most strangest and frightening thing I have ever seen. From my hidden location I witnessed the door open like a giant mouth. A tongue rolled out and soon masked Death Eaters appeared! The Dark Lord was already outside, waiting the return of his loyal followers. He spoke with the lead Death Eater, a man dressed entirely in black with a black mask. They carried a huge floating box out and set it on Hogwarts property. What this box contains is unknown at this time, but it's sure to be a threat to our helpless, innocent children that attend the school. The Dark Lord would never bring anything good and wholesome, we all know that.

Word at the school is that under their masks, the Death Eaters are not human at all. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained to me what an alien is. The idea is hard to understand, it's that foreign, but we must try if we're to truly understand He Who Must Not Be Named. Out among the stars, there are other worlds just like this one. These worlds circle different suns. The Dark Lord has in fact come from such a world and has deceived us all these years. He didn't want us to know the truth of his origins, claiming he grew up in an orphanage. That is just another one of his lies. In truth they have pale gray heads with huge black eyes. One can only imagine what horrors will come now that he and his loyal followers have returned. What is his REAL purpose here? When will the killings start again? I feel it's only a matter of time before his Dark Mark appears in the sky again.

Another pressing matter is: Where is Harry Potter and what will he do about it?

"You're right." Harry remarked glumly as he stared with shocked eyes at the crude drawing of an alien. It was clear to the Boy Who Lived that they had stolen it from a Muggle tabloid. He had seen the trashy newspapers while waiting in the supermarket checkout lanes with the Dursleys. It was all bunk, of course. Muggles knew it was false yet some of them found the stuff fascinating. And there were the rare fruitloops that actually _believed_ in aliens. They had websites and spent all their free time scanning the sky for UFOs. The funny thing was that for a change Rita Skeeter was partly right. Palpatine really _was_ an alien. The problem was that he was _not_ Lord Voldemort.

"This is going to cause _huge_ problems…" Hermione predicted in a serious tone, her face not showing a trace of the happiness from a few moments ago. Her chocolate eyes rapidly scanned through the rest of the newspaper for more relating to the story. Such a story always was accompanied by smaller pieces. There were several in this case, one giving the well-known details of how Harry defeated Voldemort as a mere baby.

Even Ron seemed depressed. "I hope Mom and Dad won't want to pull me out of school…"

Harry could understand how many parents would want to do just that. "And the real Death Eaters, how would they react to this? Surely they'd see it as slander, wouldn't they?"

"There's no real way to be sure." Hermione commented as she finished scanning the paper and threw it onto the table. Reaching for her fork, she stabbed at a piece of egg. "Either they'll feel insulted and grow angry, or else they'll be thankful for the cover-up. Who really knows?"

Frowning, Harry picked at his breakfast. A bad feeling started to grow within the pit of his stomach and he knew things were just going to get worst…

To be continued…


End file.
